May 2025 Hot Topics

OPPORTUNITIES

NEW DATE ANNOUNCED – FY26 DAU TRAINING SCHEDULE
Originally scheduled for May 20, a new date has been announced for the release of DAU’s FY26 training schedule.

The new FY26 DAU training schedule release date is July 17.
High-demand courses, even virtual instructor-led training courses, fill up quickly, so be sure to apply early, especially when scheduling classes toward satisfying your acquisition position’s statutory DAWIA certification requirements. Knowing what courses are being offered and when is a vital part of scheduling your online enrollments and securing limited training reservations. Think about which certification you must achieve, which courses are needed, when the courses are offered, and how long the courses take to complete, while and factoring in your own readiness to attend.

Plan early! It is critical for Army Acquisition Workforce (AAW) members to meet with their supervisors to plan and schedule their FY26 training requirements – what courses to take and when. Training plan decisions should be made with your supervisor’s awareness and support. This way, when the FY26 schedule is released, you can immediately apply for training with your supervisor’s full support.
We encourage you to save this link to your favorite bookmarks! The FY26 schedule and access to apply to FY26 courses will be available starting July 17.

COMING SOON – FY26 ACQUISITION TUITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (ATAP)

All aboard the ATAP train! Get a head start and begin prepping your application package to the Acquisition Tuition Assistance Program. June 3 is the first day of the ATAP application window and will close on July 15. ATAP provides tuition assistance, including laboratory and technology fees, to eligible Army Acquisition Workforce (AAW) professionals taking individual acquisition- or business-related college courses or pursuing an acquisition- or business-related bachelor’s or master’s degree. Eligible applicants who already have a master’s degree can now apply for a second master’s degree in a business, technical or acquisition-related discipline. For complete details, click here. Be sure to open the ATAP Announcement .pdf under the “Announcement” section!

UPDATE – NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL (NPS) EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES

Offerings at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) have been impacted by federal administrative changes.

  • The Systems Engineering Department at NPS is unable to support the fall quarter start for the 722 –Systems and Program Management (DL) cohort 722-261G.
  • The Systems Engineering Department at NPS is unable to support the fall quarter start for the 311-Systems Engineering (DL) cohort 311-261G.

We are actively working with NPS to determine next steps and will communicate any developments as they occur.

AWARDS

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR THE 2025 ARMY ACQUISITION HALL OF FAME AWARDS

The nomination period for the 2025 Army Acquisition Hall of Fame is now open and closes on June 6, 2025.

This award recognizes and honors former members of the Army Acquisition Workforce (AAW) who have made significant and enduring contributions in support of the Army acquisition community. The program’s intent is to preserve the legacy of the acquisition community and inspire a sense of heritage, honor, and pride throughout the workforce. The Army Director, Acquisition Career Management, Mr. Ronald R. Richardson, encourages organizations to consider the amazing work that our acquisition personnel accomplished throughout a career of service and submit nominations to recognize those professionals.

The Call for Nominations is open to all former AAW personnel, both military and civilian, who are now separated or retired after a minimum of 20 years of federal service, and posthumously to AAW personnel who served a minimum of 20 years of federal service during their lifetime. Nominees must be retired or separated from federal service at least one year before eligible for consideration.

Detailed eligibility criteria and nomination requirements for the Army Acquisition Hall of Fame Award are posted on the U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center (USAASC) website: https://asc.army.mil/web/hall-of-fame/ .

The deadline for nomination submissions is Friday, June 6, 2025. Submissions will not be accepted after 11:59 p.m. EDT, June 6, 2025.

COMING SOON – DEFENSE ACQUISITION AWARDS

Nominations for the 2025 Defense Acquisition Awards open soon! Recognize the outstanding achievements of your people and programs – these are the DoD’s highest honors for acquisition excellence. Submissions will be accepted through the end of May. Stay tuned for details and deadlines at https://asc.army.mil/web/acquisition-awards/defense-acquisition-awards/

COMING SOON – ARMY ACQUISITION EXECUTIVE EXCELLENCE IN LEADERSHIP AWARDS

On June 2, the Army Acquisition Executive’s Excellence in Leadership Awards will open for nomination submissions.

The Army Acquisition Workforce is filled with many impressive people—individuals and teams who toil away to develop new systems and products for the warfighters or identify new ways to get those systems funded and fielded. The 2025 AAE’s Excellence in Leadership Awards is the chance to spotlight their work. These awards honor individuals and teams whose outstanding contributions and achievements merit special recognition. The deadline for submitting nominations will be July 25, 2025.

These awards recognize the past performance of an individual or team who have clearly demonstrated exceptional mission accomplishment, selfless service to the United States, extraordinary and uncompromising professionalism, and true commitment to the personal and professional growth of others within the following categories. Call for nominations and submission details will be available soon!

To learn more about FAQs, past winners, nomination guidance, and awards category information, visit the AAE Awards page here.

The main Acquisition Awards page, which houses a comprehensive collection of all acquisition awards pages, can be found here.

STAY ON TRACK WITH CREDENTIALS

Stay up to speed by catching a ride on the acquisition credentials train! Defense acquisition credentials are a part of your continuous learning experience; providing the knowledge and associated skills needed to perform job-centric, niche, and/or emerging functions in the defense acquisition environment.

They are intended to enhance specific skills and improve performance in the workplace. Whether you manage capability requirements, acquire services/systems, or sustain capabilities, earning credentials can build your competence, confidence, and value to your organization and the DOD. Wondering which credential may be suited for you? Explore the catalog of credentials here!

RESOURCES

STEPS TO PLANNING YOUR ACQUISITION CAREER

If you’re looking for a roadmap to help identify, plan, and schedule key education, training, assignments, and leadership development opportunities as you progress along your acquisition career, you’re in luck because five civilian career models were recently updated! Specifically, these five career models are in the acquisition functional areas of

The remaining two career models, Business-Cost Estimating (BUS-CE) and Life Cycle Logistics (LCL), will be available soon.
The Army Acquisition Functional Leaders (AAFLs) and Army Acquisition Functional Advisors (AAFAs) recently reviewed and updated the Career Model for their respective Acquisition Functional Area (AFA), in order to ensure these latest civilian career models reflect current and relevant assignments and training, including DACM programs, for their AAW members. The intent of these career models is to provide a notional guide for professional growth and a well-rounded AFA experience. Not every opportunity presented on the models is required, nor suited for everyone.

Within the models are hyperlinks which connect to dedicated website pages for each course/program, where additional information may be found. AAW members and their supervisors should use these models to build and shape their Individual Development Plan (IDP) as they gain functional knowledge, experience and seniority along their acquisition career. Additional information on the AFAs may be found in the DAU icatalog.

The Army (DACM Office worked with the AAFLs and AAFAs to ensure these latest civilian career models reflect current and relevant assignments and training, including DACM programs, recommended for their AAW members.

Additionally, you may find the Army Acquisition Career Development model serves as a general guide to common career milestones. Click here to download a printable version of the Army Acquisition Career Development model. For general questions regarding the acquisition career model, the Army DACM Office’s Acquisition Career Managers are available to assist you by submitting your request via the Acquisition Career Management Portal.

Take care of your career and your career will take care of you! Please work with your supervisor for specific questions regarding your career journey.

ATTENTION ETM AND T&E PROFESSIONALS –

UPDATED ETM AND T&E INFO SHEETS NOW AVAILABLE

In support of developing joint warfighting capabilities, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)) has updated the Engineering and Technical Management (ETM) and Test and Evaluation (T&E) Information Sheets for FY25 Q2. They feature the latest ETM credential deployments, credentials in development, and learning assets available to the workforce. Take a look and share these information sheets, as well as others produced by the OUSD(R&E) SE&A Office. Click here to access the updated Info Sheets!

HOW CAN I GET A HOLD OF MY OAP?

If you’re looking to get in touch with your Organizational Acquisition Point of Contact (OAP), there’ s a roster for that! Previously located on milSuite, the OAP Roster has found its new home located in your CAC-enabled Career Acquisition Management Portal (CAMP) account at https://apps.asc.army.mil/camp/. Once logged in with credentials, navigate to the IDP drop-down, select “IDP Documents” and on the next screen, select the blue “OAP Roster” hyperlink, which will open up the .pdf containing a comprehensive list of Army OAPs.

To find your specific OAP, look them up on the roster by your org and location. OAPs can provide broad acquisition career management guidance and so can our team of Acquisition Career Managers (ACMs). For any questions about the OAP Roster, please submit a Help Request to our team of ACMs.

FAQs AND HOW TO FIND THEM

Do you have questions related to managing your acquisition career? Have you ever wondered, how do I apply to obtain my DAWIA certification? Or how do I update my Acquisition Career Record Brief (ACRB)? Perhaps you need some pointers on submitting a request to your supervisor for those precious Continuous Learning Points you work so hard to achieve. Find the answers to frequently asked questions by diving into the FAQ page here! There are currently 348 FAQs and can be filtered by category. As always, if your answer is not on the FAQ page, submit a Help Request to our team of dedicated ACMs here.

REMINDERS

TAKING TIME TO TRAIN – FOCUSED LEARNING

Last but not least, a gentle reminder to supervisors of acquisition workforce professionals. When employees are enrolled in DAU courses, their undivided attention to attending, completing, and passing the courses is essential. The DAU Student Academic and Administrative Policies and Procedures Handbook contains details on attendance/absenteeism; please refer to paragraph 2 on page 1 of the DAU Attendance/Absenteeism Student Policies & Info.

NEW HIRES – TAKE THE AAW ONBOARDING COURSE

If you were recently hired into the Army Acquisition Workforce, you’ll want to sign up for the “Welcome to the Army Acquisition Workforce” course. This course should be completed within the first few months of joining the acquisition workforce as it offers a dynamic overview of:

  • The Army Acquisition Workforce.
  • Training and certification standards.
  • Tools and resources.
  • Career models.
  • Development and leadership opportunities.
  • Staying connected.

To access and begin taking the course, navigate to the Army Training Information System (ATIS) Learning home page at https://learn.atis.army.mil/moodle. (Chrome or Edge browsers are recommended.)

  • Login to EAMS-A-Single Sign-On (CAC login).
  • Click the CATALOG tab.
  • Locate the Welcome to the Army Acquisition Workforce course in the list of Published courses, or enter the course name in the Search field, and click the search icon.
  • Select the Register & Launch button, which will take you directly where you can launch the Learning Assignment(s) required for the course.

There is a downloadable resources guide included with the course. You are highly encouraged to download and save a copy of this resources guide for your records. Once you have closed the course topic, your completion will show up on your ATIS LEARNING MY CERTIFICATES page. Click the certificate File icon to view and download the course completion certificate.