COMMAND/ORGANIZATION: Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation
TITLE: Logistics management specialist
YEARS OF SERVICE IN WORKFORCE: 14
DAWIA CERTIFICATIONS: Advanced in life cycle logistics
EDUCATION: M.S. in agribusiness management, and B.S. in business management from Alabama Agricultural & Mechanical University

Ricardo “Rick” Hall

by Cheryl Marino

The world of Army acquisition is complex with not one but many critical programs and processes necessary for the defense of our nation—and Ricardo Hall’s job is right at the center of the action.

As a logistics management specialist for the Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation (PEO STRI), Hall manages a full range of acquisition logistics and life cycle sustainment logistics in support of Army Training Aids, Devices, Simulators and Simulations (TADSS) Branch. His position is primarily predicated on acquisition and support of TADSS which is important to the warfighter and training community because it provides realistic combat training without creating the challenges of live fire or combat weapon systems.

“The thing that people find most interesting about my job is how the development of systems, subsystems and components aggregate together, are integrated into prototypes and become an eventual system baseline that is ultimately fielded to the warfighter,” Hall said. Others, he said, are also interested in the virtual, augmented reality and “gaming” features developed for the warfighter. “Most people relate these capabilities to the gaming consoles we’ve grown to love and became familiar with playing over the years in our homes,” he said.

Although he recognizes the appeal of gaming outside of work, for Hall, it’s more about cooking. “I consider myself to be somewhat of a good cook and others seem to enjoy my food,” he said. “What being culinary has in common with my work as a logistician is understanding and knowing all the right ingredients necessary to develop, field and sustain Army training aids and devices.”

Hall started his career at the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command in 2009. A couple of years later, he was given the opportunity to join the Program Manager Armored Brigade Combat Team fielding branch as a long-term rotational assignment. “It was during that time I gained experience in the acquisition workforce. I served as a fielding coordinator for the M1200 Armored Knight Vehicle, and having direct interaction with the warfighter is what was most interesting and fulfilling,” he said. “Additionally, routinely interacting with FORSCOM [U.S. Army Forces Command] and FORCEMOD [Force Modernization] points of contact ensuring all parties were actively engaged in implementing actions with storage, Soldiers and facility support to execute fielding and training activities was just as rewarding.”

With fielding comes direct interaction with warfighters and other stakeholders, he said. “Having face-to-face interaction with individuals who serve our country and also have a support role like FORSCOM and FORCEMOD was compelling and rewarding early on in my career. It gave me a better perception and appreciation for the armed forces.”

Much like gathering all the right ingredients to prepare the perfect meal—14 years of dabbling in different acquisition roles blended with experience in mentoring—Hall has acquired the perfect combination of all the right stuff for his current role as a logistics management specialist.

“Mentoring has also been imperative and valuable to me during my career, whether it’s being a mentor or mentee,” he said. “Obviously, at the beginning of my career I was in more of a mentee role as an intern and junior-level employee. Now as a senior-level employee, I’ve transitioned into the mentor role. In both roles, I’ve been able to build great working relationships with individuals. Some of which I still contact concerning logistic-related matters, and I also enjoy helping others overcome mission-driven and work-related challenges.”

Hall said he has never been wary or afraid to seek guidance from others no matter what level or position he obtains. “The opportunity to deploy as a Department of the Army civilian was an attainable opportunity earlier in my career. Deploying would’ve given me the opportunity to expand my logistics knowledge by learning different aspects while working in a different role and atmosphere. Unfortunately, my mother was not in favor of me deploying at that time. To keep her stress-free, I chose to put that experience aside. Now that I’m older, deploying doesn’t interest me as it once did.”

Hall’s advice to junior acquisition personnel would be to “always stay the course,” and understand that there is no constant in the acquisition community and workforce. “Technology is continuously advancing, military size is steadily increasing, requirements are cumulative, and Army modernization continues to progress and transform the elements that military components define, construct and operate,” i.e., policies, organization, training, materiel, facilities, personnel and leadership, he said.

Hall is DAWIA certified Advanced in life cycle logistics. He said this certification has not only furthered his education in acquisition and logistics, but it has also given him a seat at the table when interviewing for positions. As a result, he said, he’s been fortunate to have worked and supported the Army, Navy and Marine Corps in his 14-year military career.

“Early on in my career I was fortunate to brief high-level individuals. In some of those experiences, I wasn’t able to answer every question that I was asked,” he said. “Not knowing the answer didn’t affect me as a briefer because through further research, I was able to find the answer and follow up with the individual who asked the question.”

Hall said one of the most important lessons he’s learned over the course of his career is to never be ashamed to fail and never become intimidated from not knowing or having the correct answer.

“Through experience, I’ve learned that respect is earned when initiative and persistence is displayed in an effort to find an answer.” He said that although it may seem like failure in the moment, it’s important to understand that failure is not always a negative. Failure is evidence that you have the courage to try.

“My career is a continuous learning experience, what I take from failure is solely up to me. Being open and willing to learn from lessons and grow from them is vital to my professional development.”