Book Description

Since the Goldwater-Nichols Act of I 986 the U.S. Army has engaged in over 140 deployment missions ranging from peacekeeping and counter-insurgency to full-scale warfare. During this same period the Army Acquisition Corps (AAC) has also transitioned. However a majority of these changes were made to implement Congressional laws and regulations streamline the military acquisition process to incorporate more common "off the shelf" items into the Army and to provide structure to the AAC personnel accession process. As the Army implements its current transformation campaign plan restructuring from a heavy combat platform centric force to a force composed primarily of medium weight combat platforms the Army Acquisition Program Management (AAPM) portion of the AAC must also transition from a reactionary to a proactive organization so that it remains a viable entity in supporting the future Army's full-spectrum conflict capabilities. This Strategy Research Project explores how AAPM provided support to the fielded Army during Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) in Kuwait/Iraq. It notes the critical support commercial contractors provided during these operations. It concludes with recommendations for possible changes in how the AAPM may best support the war fighter during future conflicts.