Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition

Congratulations to all the winners of the 2024 Defense Acquisition Awards. Dr. William LaPlante, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition & Sustainment, recognized individuals and teams for acquisition excellence across 23 separate categories during a ceremony at DAU’s Howell Auditorium at Fort Belvoir this morning. Through their dedicated service to our warfighters and nation, the honorees advanced the National Defense Strategy and supported the Secretary of Defense’s priorities. Thank you for setting the pace for the DoD acquisition workforce. Acquisition Human Capital Initiatives OUSD (A&S) // #DefenseAcquisitionAwards #NationalDefenseStrategy #AcquisitionExcellence #DAU #Leadership

Gary Ashworth, Performing the Duties of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, hosted the DAU Presidential Welcome Ceremony, officially welcoming Bilyana Anderson as the new DAU President. "We have a huge responsibility to the nation to ensure our acquisition cadre is ready," Ms. Anderson stated as she shared her vision for leading DAU. Anderson emphasized: - Continuing DAU's world-class excellence - Measuring success through metrics and benchmarks - Collaborating with Services, industry, Congress, and others - Always prioritizing the warfighter Anderson is ready to guide DAU with expertise and a collaborative spirit. “I like to surround myself with the best and brightest and empower folks to lead,” she said. “I knew DAU would be a good fit, as you are all the experts, and I will rely on your expertise and wisdom.” Welcome to the team, Ms. Anderson.

Today, the United States Department of Defense published the unclassified National Defense Industrial Strategy Implementation Plan (NDIS-IP) detailing actions that DoD is currently taking, and will continue to take, to modernize the defense industrial base: https://lnkd.in/e85fU9Jt “Publishing the NDIS was a significant accomplishment as we work to strengthen the size and resilience of our industrial base,” Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment William LaPlante said, “But we’ve always said that it was only the first step—implementation is what really matters. While we still have a lot of work ahead of us, this implementation plan is showing that we remain focused on putting words into tangible actions.”      The NDIS-IP includes six cross-cutting initiatives that will enable the Department to achieve a more resilient defense industrial ecosystem and buy-down risks. The plan demonstrates activities the U.S. Government, private industry, and international allies and partners are undertaking, emphasizing that this effort cannot be a DoD-only initiative.   "The vision outlined in the NDIS will require alignment of resources and we will not achieve the NDIS vision alone,” said Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy, Dr. Laura Taylor-Kale. “Implementing these actions will require coordinated efforts across the DoD, collaboration and partnership with interagency, industry, and international stakeholders, and support and cooperation from our champions in Congress.” Read the full NDIS-IP here: https://lnkd.in/dUp-pDem   #NDIS #ExpandTheBase #SucceedThroughTeamwork

ASD(A) is excited to join forces with U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and Joint Force Headquarters - Department of Defense Information Network (JFHQ-DODIN) for the next iteration of the Indo-Pacific Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity Workshop! We welcome our Allies and Partners to Hawaii and are looking forward to mission-focused discussions. The U.S. Department of Defense is committed to assisting Allies and Partners in strengthening their cyber capacity and expanding collective cyber resilience. The goal of the Fall Workshop & Policy Tabletop Discussion is to improve the cybersecurity posture of critical infrastructure in the Indo-Pacific region through collaborative information exchanges on policy, cyber technologies, digital engineering, and defense capabilities to reduce cyber risks. The keynotes by senior leaders and collaborative panel discussions will highlight the path forward for building strategic cyber resilience with like-minded international partners.

Thank you Brooke Griswold for being a Defense Civilian Training Corps (DCTC) trailblazer! Everyday, you and your fellow DCTC scholars prove that the future is in very capable hands. We are so glad your summer experience at Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division (NSWCCD) was transformative. They truly are "Where the Fleet Begins". #DoDAcquisitioninAction #DCTC

The Defense Civilian Training Corps (DCTC) successfully presented the first DCTC Scholar Showcase in D.C.! On July 30th and 31st, scholars gathered in Washington, D.C. to present findings from project-based summer internships at the National Press Club. Scholars demonstrated their experience working on topics such as hypersonic threat trajectory analysis, acquisition data analysis and instrumentation, and space launch operations. During a commemoration on the Pentagon River Entrance Steps, 83 scholars met with Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Mr. Gary Ashworth; Chief Talent Management Officer, Mr. Brynt Parmeter; and Director for Science and Technology Foundations, Dr. Jagadeesh Pamulapati gathered to mark the outstanding accomplishments of the DCTC interns over the summer. Mr. Gary Ashworth, ASD(A), provided remarks to the students, “DCTC is a truly amazing and competitive program… Each of you, DCTC Scholars, have chosen a career in civil service. Serving the nation - it is a big mission that you're stepping up to - supporting our warfighters. As acquisition professionals you will develop and get them the capabilities to deter aggression, win the fight, and bring as many of them home safely as possible. I can't imagine a bigger calling in life. As the first group of DCTC scholars, you have actively been involved in shaping the program to the benefit of those that follow.”

United States Air Force Capt. Sean Williams, a Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) government flight representative out of the Aircraft Integrated Maintenance Operations Greenville office, recently piloted one of the first two F-16 Fighting Falcons delivered to the Slovak Air Force. Air Force Col. Eduardo Castaneda, Indiana Air National Guard, piloted the second aircraft. “I feel immensely honored to represent DCMA as the flight lead who delivered not only Slovakia’s first two F-16s, but the first block 70’s for our NATO allies,” Williams said. “Having Col. Castaneda as my wingman made it that much more historic.” Williams has over 1,100 hours in the F-16, to include 200 combat hours. He says the block 70 is the most advanced and capable model he’s flown to date.  #DoDAcquisitioninAction #AlliesandPartners

Thank you U.S. Army DEVCOM for your support of the Defense Civilian Training Corps (DCTC) Scholars.