Supporting Strategic Investment Decisions

Integrating Requirements and Acquisition Processes

Requirements Management Certification Training Program. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007 required the USD(AT&L), in consultation with the Defense Acquisition University, to develop a training program to certify military and DoD civilian personnel with the responsibility for generating requirements for Major Defense Acquisition Programs (MDAPs), effective September 30, 2008. The JAC office led the efforts to develop the program.

DoD Enterprise Management

Capability Portfolio Management. The Department’s Capability Portfolio Management initiative is intended to provide an enterprise-level, horizontal (cross-component) view of the Department to better balance and harmonize joint warfighter capability needs with capability development efforts and produce strategically aligned outcomes optimized for the enterprise.

Currently nine Capability Portfolios have been established conforming to the nine Tier I Joint Capability Areas. Of these, JAC is the Office of Secretary of Defense (OSD) lead action office for the Protection and Force Application Capability Portfolios.

Early Analysis Collaboration

Joint Analysis Teams (JATs). The Department has stood up JATs to proactively engage all stakeholders and drive decisions that deliver resilient, joint, strategic capability at the lowest possible cost. The Department currently has focused on specific areas of concern: Electronic Warfare, Radar, Networks, Biometrics, Wheeled Vehicles, Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Identify Friend or Foe, Sensor Weapons Pairing, Joint Weapons, Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) Governance, Directed Energy, etc.

Of these JATs, JAC is the OSD lead for Electronic Warfare, IAMD Governance, and Joint Weapons. Where necessary, JAC orchestrates Special Access Program-level analysis to enhance these activities.

Early Industry Involvement

Joint Integrated Air and Missile Defense (JIAMD) Summit. The Department has aggressively responded to the need for improved communication and coordination with industry. The annual JIAMD Summit enables early discussions of requirements and potential solutions with our industry and academia partners. The third annual JIAMD Summit was held in March 2008 with over 400 participants. JAC is the OSD lead action office for the JIAMD Summit.

Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs). JAC is leading the Department’s effort to develop concepts on how to use CRADAs between DoD and major defense contractors as a vehicle to allow scenario information sharing, cooperative analysis reviews, and joint alignment of Industry Research and Development activities. The strategic goal of this effort is to establish linkage among resources, performance, capabilities, and strategy to strengthen investment decisions.

Early Coalition Involvement

Coalition Capability Integration and Transformation. The JAC, Joint Forces Integration division is the OSD focal point for the Department’s Coalition Capability Development Framework (CCDF) with the specific aim of enabling coherent coalition interaction with the Department's Capability Management processes. This initiative is already demonstrating direct benefit across the acquisition cycle.

OUSD(AT&L) is also working closely with Australian counterparts to identify mutually beneficial opportunities for cooperation. In October 2008, the US and Australian defense staffs will conduct an electronic warfare (EW) wargame to advance US-Australian EW interoperability.