Acquisition Support for the Army Transformation Campaign Plan
Abstract
Although acquisition reform has provided the tools to improve the way we do business, are the tools adequate to the task of supporting the Transformation Campaign Plan (TCP) and its key component, the Future Combat System (FCS)? We cannot afford to consider acquisition support for the TCP as just another acquisition program. This paper will review some of the most important parts of existing acquisition policy and assess whether or not it is adequate to support the TCP or if there needs to be more work accomplished. It will consider acquisition strategies, concerns about personnel management policies (technical expertise we need, how to develop it, and whether it should be military or civilian), prioritizing and managing our research and development, and how to assess the impact of a rapidly accelerating high technology revolution on all acquisition processes. Crucial to accomplishing the TCP is mobilizing industry to support the ambitious goals set forth in the TCP. Fear over being accused of giving any one company an advantage has limited the Army's communication with its key suppliers over the years. What should our relationship with the defense industry be, and will existing regulations allow the Army to relate to industry in a way to insure success? This paper will also explore the acquisition process as a complex adaptive system, and provide suggestions on how to manage the FCS in light of recent research on this topic. The task at hand is to consider these issues and provide some suggestions on how the acquisition community and the defense industry can best support the TCP.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 09, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADA404186
Entities
People
- August R. Mancuso Iii
Organizations
- United States Army War College