ACQUISITION EDUCATION, TRAINING AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES
STILL OPEN FOR APPLICATIONS – ACQUISITION TUITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (ATAP)
Great news! The ATAP application deadline date has been extended to March 5, 2021. ATAP provides tuition assistance to eligible Army Acquisition Workforce (AAW) civilians and Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) 51 Contracting (51C) Noncommissioned Officers (NCOs). This is your chance to take acquisition/business related courses in a declared major toward either a bachelor’s or master’s degree at an accredited college or university of your choice during off-duty time. The Director of Acquisition Career Management (DACM) Office is the ATAP sponsor and will fund tuition costs (laboratory and technology fees) within specified funding limits (see announcement for details). Book fees, graduation fees, registration fees, general fees, course materials and travel expenses are not funded. A copy of the ATAP announcement can be obtained from the website below. It is highly recommended that you print out a copy of the ATAP announcement, read it thoroughly and have it available as you prepare your application. All applications must be submitted using the Army Acquisition Professional Development System (AAPDS) within the Career Acquisition Personnel and Position Management Information System (CAPPMIS), which is located here: https://apps.asc.army.mil/camp/. Detailed instructions for completing the application are contained in the ATAP announcement at the website below. To find out more about the ATAP program, go to https://asc.army.mil/web/career-development/programs/acquisition-tuition-assistance-program/.
DEFENSE ACQUISITION UNIVERSITY SENIOR SERVICE COLLEGE FELLOWSHIP (DAU-SSCF)
Applications to the DAU-SSCF are being accepted January 13 – March 17, 2021. The DAU-SSCF program is a 10-month educational and leadership development opportunity sponsored by the DACM Office and conducted under the auspices of DAU at Huntsville, Alabama; Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey; and new this year, a virtual cohort seminar. DAU-SSCF provides leadership and acquisition training to prepare senior-level (GS-14/15 or broadband equivalent) civilians for leadership roles such as product and project director/manager, deputy program executive officer and other key acquisition leadership positions. To find out more about the DAU-SSCF, go to https://asc.army.mil/web/career-development/programs/defense-acquisition-university-senior-service-college/.
LEARNING ON THE GO WITH DAU WEBCASTS
Stay informed and engaged in the world of defense acquisition with DAU’s series of webcasts. There is no registration required and attending these virtual events will keep you current on the latest acquisition topics, trends and insights from wherever you happen to be located. Webcast events include moderated discussions with thought leaders from DOD, industry and academia. Bonus alert: One benefit to attending the webcasts is that they are a fantastic way to earn continuous learning points, since each webcast qualifies for up to 1.5 points (with supervisor approval). Check out the complete lineup of past and upcoming webcasts at https://www.dau.edu/dau-webcasts/p/home.
Speaking of online learning, DAU’s 2021 training schedule for fiscal quarters 3 and 4 is now available. Currently, DAU courses are conducted through its Virtual Instructor-Led Training (VILT) delivery format, with a very limited amount of in-resident training. Detailed course descriptions and schedules can be found at https://icatalog.dau.edu/onlinecatalog/. To apply for a DAU course, go through the Army registration portal, known as AITAS, at https://www.atrrs.army.mil/channels/aitas/.
DACM OFFICE UPDATE
SELECTEES ANNOUNCED – FY21 PRODUCT DIRECTOR CENTRALIZED SELECTION BOARD
The FY21 Product Director (PD) Centralized Selection Board (CSB) convened September 14-16, 2020, at Fort Knox, Kentucky. The civilian-centric board is a high-priority talent management initiative championed by the Director, Army Acquisition Corps. The board’s purpose is to identify high-performing civilians possessing leadership potential to fill civilian PD positions commensurate with their military counterparts, ensuring the Army meets the future needs of our Soldiers. Congratulations to the following FY21 Product Director Civilian Centralized Selection Board Army Acquisition Workforce professionals:
PRINCIPAL LIST
- Elizabeth Bledsoe, Program Executive Office (PEO) Simulation, Training and Instrumentation
- Benton Gady, PEO Ground Combat Systems (GCS)
- Patrick Miller, PEO Missiles & Space (MS)
- Michael Payne, PEO Enterprise Information Systems (EIS)
- Heather Putman, Senior Service College (SSC)–National Defense University (NDU)
- Michael Sawyers, PEO GCS
- Ronald Stephens, PEO MS
- Christopher Upton, PEO Combat Support & Combat Service Support
ALTERNATE LIST
- Garnard Burnside, PEO EIS
- Richard Licata, PEO EIS
- Everett Roper, PEO MS
- Sherman Spencer, SSC-NDU
- Daniel Turnas, PEO GCS
- Jack Wilson, Joint PEO-Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense
The DACM’s objective is to direct personnel assignments within the Program Executive Offices to facilitate the placement of these high-performing civilian product directors.
Slating of FY21 Product Director positions occurred on January 28 and results will be released on or about mid-February. Detailed information about the Centralized Selection Board and positions can be found on https://asc.army.mil/web/career-development/prod-dir/.
SELECTEES ANNOUNCED FOR THE INAUGURAL LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCE AND ACQUISITION DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
The Leadership Excellence and Acquisition Development (LEAD) program is the new and improved version of the 24-year running Competitive Development Group/Army Acquisition Fellowship program; it opened for applications this year. LEAD offers GS-12/13 (or broadband equivalent) acquisition professionals expanded leadership development training through a series of education, leader development and program management focused broadening assignments to build skills required for positions of greater responsibility. LEAD participants are provided centrally-funded leadership training and developmental assignments within the acquisition community. While LEAD is not a promotion opportunity, it does strengthen desired skills, providing a competitive edge for those who compete for senior acquisition leader positions. Congratulations to the following Year Group 21 LEAD Army Acquisition Workforce professionals:
Megan E. Henline, Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Defense (JPEO CBRND)
Erich J. Meier, Program Executive Office for Combat Support and Combat Service Support (PEO CS&CSS)
Bobbie Kirby Mortimer, JPEO CBRND
Jessica C. Newberry, HQ U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center
Cassandra Lynn Reilly, Communications Electronics Research Development and Engineering Center
Kelly L. Sowell, PEO CS&CSS
William Cody Swinford, PEO Aviation
To read an in-depth AL&T magazine article on the LEAD Program, go to https://asc.army.mil/web/career-navigator-lead-ing-change/; for more details about the LEAD program, visit https://asc.army.mil/web/career-development/programs/lead/.
CAREER MANAGEMENT RESOURCE FOR SUPERVISORS OF ACQUISITION PERSONNEL
The Army DACM Office created an online resource to ensure supervisors have the latest information on how to best support their acquisition employees. This important role has unique requirements and opportunities regarding your personnel’s acquisition career development. The Supervisor’s Corner page is focused on arming acquisition workforce supervisors with critical tools and resources available in order to better prepare you to assist, guide and manage personnel with career development decisions. Discover more at https://asc.army.mil/web/career-development/supervisors-corner/.
WELCOME – AND WELCOME BACK – TO OUR 55 NEW AND RETURNING DOD COLLEGE ACQUISITION INTERNSHIP PARTICPANTS
Army acquisition is investing in the future of its talented personnel with the confirmation of 55 interns in the 2021 DOD College Acquisition Internship Program (DCAIP). Forty-five of those interns are new to Army organizations and 10 are returning DCAIP interns. DCAIP is a paid, 10-week internship that provides students with real-world experience in career fields within the DOD acquisition workforce. The program targets full-time second- and third-year students currently enrolled in an undergraduate program at an accredited college or university. Selected students will work full time (40 hours per week) over 10 consecutive weeks, between May and August 2021. There may also be opportunities to work over winter break and to return during the summer of 2021, determined by DOD component need, continued eligibility and student availability. DCAIP was established as a pilot in 2019 by the Office of Human Capital Initiatives (HCI) of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment.
Organizations participating in this year’s DCAIP are:
U.S. Army Materiel Command
U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command
U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command
Joint Program Executive Office Armaments and Ammunition
U.S. Army Medical Command
Program Executive Office (PEO) Combat Support and Combat Service Support
PEO Ground Combat Systems
PEO Soldier
PEO Simulation, Training, and Instrumentation
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Army began its participation in the program in 2020. DCAIP is part of HCI’s talent management strategy to recruit and retain full-time students who are enrolled in institutions of higher education. The program is an effort to “build the bench” of talent with degrees that are in high demand across the acquisition community. For more information about DCAIP, go to https://www.hci.mil/dodcareers/internship.html.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS OF THE 2020 SEVENTH ANNUAL MAJOR GENERAL HAROLD J. “HARRY” GREENE AWARDS FOR ACQUISITION WRITING
On January 4, Lt. Gen. Robert L. Marion, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics and Technology) (ASA(ALT)), announced the winners of the seventh annual Maj. Gen. Harold J. “Harry” Greene Awards for Acquisition Writing. The annual writing competition is designed to advance the understanding and influence dialogue about Army acquisition and is named for Maj. Gen. Greene, the deputy commanding general of the Combined Security Transition Command – Afghanistan, who was killed on Aug. 5, 2014, while making a visit to Marshal Fahim National Defense University in Kabul, Afghanistan. Congratulations to the winners and honorable mentions, noted below. A full compilation of their submissions will be published in a special supplement to the spring edition of Army AL&T magazine.
CATEGORY: Acquisition Reform
- Winner: “Evolutionary Acquisition: Closing the Loop and Fulfilling the Promise of Rapid Cyber Acquisition,” by Ms. Bonnie Evangelista and Ms. Fianna Litvok (Program Executive Office Enterprise Information Systems)
- Honorable Mention: “Transition to Sustainment, Not a One-Time Baton Toss,” by Mr. Nicholaus Saacks (Program Executive Office Command, Control, Communications-Tactical)
CATEGORY: Future Operations
- Winner: “Maximizing Commercial-Off-the-Shelf (COTS) Technology in Army Acquisition: The Impact of Army-Unique Requirements on Program Executive Office Combat Support and Combat Service Support’s Ability to Field ‘Best Value’ COTS in the Future,” by Ms. Erin Tromley, along with co-authors Dr. Peter Schihl, Dr. James Dusenbury, Mr. Joseph Keusch, Mr. Timothy Kler, Mr. Thomas Banks and Mr. Rakesh Patel (Program Executive Office Combat Support and Combat Service Support, U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Ground Vehicle Systems Center)
- Honorable Mention: “Navigating the Readiness and Modernization Conundrum,” by Lt. Col. Sarah Forster (Defense Contract Management Agency) and Maj. Hassan Kamara (ASA(ALT))
CATEGORY: Innovation
- Winner: “How Relevant is Speed? The Global Dynamics of the Twenty-First Century,” by Mr. David Riel (Defense Acquisition University-Midwest Region)
- Honorable Mention: “A New Benchmark for Transit Case Acquisition: Drop Testing,” by Mr. Mark DuBose (Program Executive Office Simulation, Training and Instrumentation).
CATEGORY: Lessons Learned
- Winner: “FWS-S (Family of Weapons – Sniper) and the OTA (Other Transaction Authority) Process,” by Mr. Elliott Bird (ASA(ALT))
- Honorable Mention: “Streams Theory: A Policy Enactment Tool for Army Materiel Development,” by Maj. Steven Cusack (U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence)
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