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News, announcements, training, search functions, Ask-a-Professor, and similar services with direct links supporting DoD acquisition.

Acquisition Process

Three processes cooperate to deliver capabilities needed by warfighters: the requirements process (JCIDS); the acquisition process (DAS); and the program and budget development process (PPBE). Includes links to DoD and Service policies, guidance, tools, and resources:

Policy

Encyclopedic source of acquisition policy that follows a hierarchy of policy issuance (i.e., executive, legislative, federal, etc.) and filtered according to organization, career field, and special topics.

Communities
of Practice

Links to communities of practice and special interest areas, the latest contribution and discussion posts for open ACC communities, community highlights, and links to related communities.

Training and
Continuous Learning

Information on training and continuous learning that supports DoD acquisition, information that helps manage professional training portfolios, and information on training available from DAU and DoD and Services activities.

Industry

Information on DoD industry partners that helps the participation and execution of DoD processes; including industry support pages, news, information, and links to private sector acquisition contractors.

Applications

AT&L Knowledge Management Systems (AKMS) applications.

 
 

Functional Gateways

Sixteen functional knowledge gateways, one for each of the defense acquisition career fields.

Special Topics

Links to gateways about important topics outside the general portals and beyond the standard career fields:

  

About this page...

Kathy Spainhower

This page introduces and illustrates the elements of Big "A" Acquisition and provides links to documents, multimedia, and training that support it.

For more information, select any of the sub-topics under "What's ACQ..." in the menu on the top-left, or the graphic to the right.

 


   Home Skip Navigation LinksAcquisition Process > Defense Acquisition System > Major Defense Acquisition Programs

Major Defense Acquisition Program

Major Defense Acquisition Program

Major Defense Acquisition Program (MDAP)

An acquisition program that is designated by the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics (USD(AT&L)) as an MDAP; or is estimated to require an eventual total expenditure for research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E), including all planned increments, of more than $480 million in Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 constant dollars or, for procurement, including all planned increments, of more than $2.79 billion in FY 2014 constant dollars.

Source: DoD 5000.02

** A current listing of the MDAPs may be found on the DAMIR website. This site is restricted to DoD acquisition community employees only.

Defense Acquisition Board (DAB)

The DAB is the Department's senior-level forum for advising the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics (USD(AT&L)) on critical decisions concerning Acquisition Category (ACAT) ID programs, and selected ACAT IA programs. The DAB is composed of the DoD's senior executives. The DAB is chaired by the USD(AT&L). Other executive members of the DAB include:

  • Vice Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff (VCJCS)
  • Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) (USD(C))
  • Under Secretary of Defense (Policy) (USD(P))
  • Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readiness) (USD(P&R))
  • Chief Information Officer of DoD
  • Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E)
  • Director, Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation (CAPE)
  • Director, Acquisition Resources and Analysis (ARA) (also executive secretary of the DAB)
  • Secretaries of the Military Departments

Defense Acquisition Board advisors include the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Acquisition); Assistant Secretary of Defense (Logistics & Material Readiness): Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Installations and Environment); DoD Deputy General Counsel (Acquisition & Logistics); Director, Defense Research & Engineering; DoD Component Acquisition Executives; the relevant OIPT Leader(s); Director, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency; Deputy Director, Cost Assessment; Director, Defense Procurement & Acquisition Policy; Director, Systems Engineering; Director, Developmental Test & Evaluation; Director, Industrial Policy; Director International Cooperation; Assistant Secretary of Defense (Legislative Affairs); Chair, Functional Capabilities Board(s); Cognizant Program Executive Officer(s) and Program Manager(s). The USD(AT&L) may ask other department officials to participate in reviews, as required.

Source: Defense Acquisition Guidebook

Component

1. Subsystem, assembly, subassembly, or other major element of an end item.
2. Military department or agency of the DoD. Includes the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), the military departments, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS), the combatant commands (COCOM), the Office of the Inspector General (IG) of the DoD, the defense agencies, DoD field activities, and all other organizational entities within DoD.

Source: DAU Glossary