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We’ve admired the federal acquisition problem for too long

Agencies must inculcate cultures of experimentation and learning if the U.S. is to prevail economically and militarily.

On a recent trip to Tampa, I asked a consultant on my team supporting U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) Acquisition Technology & Logistics what accounts for the Command’s acquisition success. “It’s a mindset thing,” she replied.

Later that day, as I continued my visit to SOCOM’s contracting activity, I happened upon the essentials of that mindset. They were captured in an inscription painted on the wall in a heavily traveled hallway. It said:

“We never stop …
We never stop learning …
We never stop iterating …
We never stop experimenting …”

That mindset at SOCOM drives a culture born and sustained from the intensity of the mission and the close relationships, in proximity and bond of purpose, between special operators and the acquirers who support them. The tooth and the tail meld. The mindset is shared by all members of the team. It is expected of everyone. It pushes teams to find the best solutions at the speed of relevance.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.govexec.com/management/2019/07/viewpoint-weve-admired-federal-acquisition-problem-too-long/158719/

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How SOCOM acquisitions try to be as agile as its warfighters

It’s not easy riding the bleeding edge of warfighter technology and capabilities.

But that’s what U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) does consistently. And it does so by fostering an acquisition team that’s as specialized, disruptive and agile as the operators themselves.

“We are paying very close attention to any developments, because in the cycle of warfare, there is always new technologies and new counter-technologies that occur,” Lt. Gen. Marshall B. “Brad” Webb, commander of U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command, said on Agency in Focus: SOCOM.

But paying close attention is not always enough. SOCOM is not looking to be competitive on the battlefield, they are looking for an advantage. Traditional defense acquisition is essentially a process of throwing money at a capability until it performs better than the adversary’s version, or the previous incarnation.

But lighter body armor and guns that shoot farther aren’t the solutions to the kinds of problems SOCOM faces.

Keep reading this article at: https://federalnewsradio.com/socom/2018/06/how-socom-acquisitions-try-to-be-as-agile-as-its-warfighters/

 

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Special Ops command seeks contractors for wearable armor technology

U.S. Special Operations Command wants its operators to be protected with what it informally calls an Iron Man suit, named after the fictional superhero.

In September, U.S. Special Operations Command, known as SOCOM, made a Broad Agency Announcement for proposals for prototypes of the Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit, or TALOS.

The goal of TALOS is to provide ballistic protection to Special Operations Forces, along with fire-retardant capability, said Michel Fieldson, TALOS lead, SOCOM.

“We sometimes refer to it as the Iron Man suit, frankly to attract the attention, imagination and excitement of industry and academia,” he said.

“We’re hoping to take products we’re developing in several technology areas and integrating them into a consolidated suit to provide more protection for the [Special Operations Forces].”

Keep reading this article at: http://www.army.mil/article/113332/_Iron_Man__style_suit_in_early_stages_of_development/

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