Army AL&T Submissions

Who can write for Army AL&T?
Anyone in the Army Acquisition Workforce and its stakeholders can write for Army AL&T. We work with writers from all skill levels, including no skill. Our editors are that good.

Articles

• Articles must have an OPSEC review and a functional lead approval.
• With rare exceptions, Army AL&T does not publish articles that are scheduled to be published, or have already been published in other publications or blogs before we go to press.
• Articles can be short, 500-800 words, or longer, up to 1,600 words.
• Format per writers guidelines and submit in Word (.docx) form with a title that keys to the article name, for example, COL Smith Logistics Commentary.

Photos, graphics and figures

• Each should be a separate, high-resolution image file in .jpg, .img, .png or .tiff format, minimum 2400 pixels wide—most often a file size of 3-4 MB or larger.
• Captions: Paste captions in the form provided on the submissions page. Alternately, submit captions in a separate Word document with the same title as the article. For example, COL Smith Logistics Commentary — Captions.
• Caption details: Include the who, what, where and when details, and the photographer’s or artist’s name and organization: (Photo/Illustration by Name, Organization).
• Graphics, figures and illustrations: Submit in PowerPoint format (.ppt or .pptx), pdfs or as image files (.jpg, .png or .tiff), or Photoshop or Illustrator.
• Advertisements: Must fit in the Army AL&T template and should consist of minimal text and a “call to action,” such as a phone number or website that the reader can use for more information.

On the Move

• For news related to promotions, retirements or important changes of command, fill out the On the Move form and submit. NOTE: With exceptions (e.g., awards), all On The Move submissions should be relevant news items regarding officers at the 0-5 level who are program, project or product managers, or relevant news items regarding officers 0-6 and above and enlisted Soldiers E-8 and above.

Faces of the Force / Spotlight on Success

• To showcase the professionalism and accomplishments of the workforce as well as the range of career opportunities in Army acquisition, fill out the nomination form and submit. NOTE: Nominees must be current on all DAWIA certifications and requirements or within the allotted grace period.

We welcome your stories, ideas, opinions and art (photos, graphics, etc.). We will do our best to provide a timely response to your submissions.

Army AL&T Magazine

Army AL&T magazine is USAASC’s quarterly professional journal, comprising in-depth, analytically focused articles. The magazine’s mission is to instruct members of the Army AL&T community relative to AL&T processes, procedures, techniques and management philosophy and to disseminate other information pertinent to the professional development of workforce members and others engaged in AL&T activities. The magazine is available in both hard copy and on the USAASC website. The editorial calendar shows the themes and deadlines of the current and future issues.

Spring 2023

THEME: New Capabilities and Concepts
Deadline for Outlines and Abstracts: January 3, 2023
Submission deadline: January 17, 2023

Spring 2023

The Army will need to develop and field new capabilities and concepts to support DOD strategic objectives and achieve Army of 2030 modernization goals. The Army acquisition enterprise is responsible.

In prepared testimony to a subcommittee of the Senate Armed Services Committee in May, the Honorable Douglas R. Bush, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, explained the Army of 2030, saying, “The Army uses Army 2030 and Army 2040 to describe what our force will look like in the near and distant future. We are refining those descriptions through experimentation and analysis of the impact emerging technology will have on the character of war.”

The concept of new capabilities and concepts is about every facet of multidomain operations, how those operations are achieved, and the technological innovations from which the United States will derive overmatch.

Innovative nontraditional defense contractors will come to DOD as it leverages the programs available to it:

• Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs. What new capabilities and concepts will benefit from or leverage these programs?
• Programs are benefitting from xTechSearch and its ecosystems. What is the impact?
• What about DOD’s technology hubs? How do these figure in transformation goals?
• How do mid-tier and other-transaction prototyping efforts propel new capabilities and concepts?
• How does the Army collaborate with the other services, industry and academia through the Rapid Defense Experimentation Reserve (RDER), an initiative to encourage prototyping and experimentation with solutions to transform the joint warfighting concept?
• What are the enabling technologies or concepts that will help bake into every new system the ability to interoperate? Use off-the-shelf technologies? Make open-systems architecture part of the DNA of DOD systems? How does the Army, as a service, posture to create solutions that maximize resources, integrate modernization efforts, and expedite fielding?

Summer 2023

THEME: Sustainable Force
Deadline for Outlines and Abstracts: April 3, 2023
Submission deadline: April 17, 2023

Sustainable Force

In achieving the Army of 2030, the Army acquisition enterprise will have a fundamental role in a force that will be unprecedented in the history of warfare. The sustainable force is a major ambition because “Charting this path requires a commitment to innovation and experimenting with new ways of operating,” wrote Secretary Christine Wormuth in February on Army.mil. “As the planet warms, the polar ice caps melt, and extreme weather becomes commonplace,” she continued, “the Army must adapt its installations, acquisition programs, and training to be able to operate in a changing environment and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”Materiel conceived, developed and fielded today must be able to achieve overmatch on the battlefield, but also overmatch against sustainment and logistics and against a changing environment. The most advanced combat vehicle in history is useless if it has no fuel.

Innovation will be key here. Quantum sciences. Advanced engineering and materials. Artificial intelligence. New ways of creating and storing electricity. Microgrids. Solar generation. Novel technology for batteries.

This line of effort also directly supports the Army climate strategy’s strategic outcome of increasing operational capability while reducing sustainment demand and strengthening climate resilience.

Searching for enterprise-level solutions that most efficiently use our nation’s resources across the acquisition lifecycle is important.

This is particularly true for assessing the Army’s enduring capabilities and making smart choices as we transition programs to sustainment.

Army Acquisition Executive Douglas R. Bush has noted that we are in the early years of a “decisive decade,” a decade of “significant changes in technology, economics, the balance of power, and climate.”

Fall 2023

Theme: Robust, Resilient, Secure and Innovative Industrial Base
Deadline for Outlines and Abstracts: July 3, 2023
Submission deadline: July 17, 2023

A hallmark of the U.S. national security enterprise is the symbiotic relationship between the Army and the nation’s industrial base. The quality and strength of the Army of today, the Army of 2030, and the Army of the future all depend upon the quality and strength of the industrial base.

Winter 2024

Theme: Productive Collaboration
Deadline for Outlines and Abstracts: October 2, 2023
Submission deadline: October 16, 2023

Productive collaboration among the Army staff and other services will be critical for the Army of 2030. Productive partnerships with industry (large and small), academia, and allies and partners must be cultivated.