By Michael Bold
FORT BELVOIR, Va. (Oct. 3, 2016)—From our country’s earliest days, dissatisfaction with the defense acquisition system has been a recurring theme. Commission after commission and study after study found the same problems: burdensome regulations, cost overruns, slipping schedules, poor management or performance and a lack of incentives for success. The solutions?
Professionalize the workforce. Buy commercial. Increase competition. Centralize. Decentralize. Reorganize. And yet the problems persist. Now, however, there’s a growing groundswell for real acquisition reform—the theme of the October-December 2016 issue of Army AL&T magazine. Read about:
- Acquisition ‘reform’ is on the table again, as it has been at least once in each decade since the end of World War II. But this time there’s reason to believe that the current reforms aren’t merely reactive but deliberate and forward-looking—and, just maybe, effective. See “GROUNDHOG DAY ALL OVER AGAIN.”
- Building on lessons from Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom and taking a page from an Air Force playbook, the Army is creating a new office to address new threats. Get the scoop about the new Army Rapid Capabilities Office from its leadership in “SEIZING THE ADVANTAGE.”
- Vendors share prototypes for weapon sights in a new mix-and-match approach to building interoperability into integrated Soldier systems for the best overall performance at the best overall price. Read “COMPETITION MEETS COLLABORATION.”
- William J. Perry, secretary of defense during the Clinton administration, discusses acquisition reform, program managers and his worries about a nuclear catastrophe in “AT THE NUCLEAR BRINK.”
- With all due respect, defense leaders, you don’t know jack: A former program manager offers his idea for effective acquisition reform—giving milestone decision authority to PEOs. Read “BEEN THERE, DONE THAT.”
- The president and CEO of Bell Helicopter draws on the company’s decades of defense experience to provide insights for the way ahead. Read “IMPROVING ACQUISITION: AN INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE.”
- The Human Capital Strategic Plan: What does it mean for you? Find out in “A READY ACQUISITION WORKFORCE.”
Go to http://usaasc.armyalt.com to read the e-magazine, or visit the archives at https://asc.army.mil/web/magazine/alt-magazine-archive/ to download the PDF version.
For more information on how to publish an article in Army AL&T magazine, visit https://asc.army.mil/web/publications/army-alt-magazine/ to check out our writers guidelines, upcoming deadlines and themes.
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