Leveraging Digital Transformation Innovating the Acquisition Workforce – Product Support Edition

Abstract

The DoD acquisition workforce has undergone some changes and updates in recent years. The Back-to-Basics initiative focused on revamping and streamlining the core functional areas and emphasized foundational knowledge and practitioner levels of experience. The addition of digital engineering courses is starting to modernize the curricula for already-underway initiatives to better prepare and establish core knowledge to advance digital transformation. Even with both of these thrust areas, one major component of the lifecycle and knowledge seems to be left behind, logistics and sustainment. Back-to-Basics added emphasis for the 12 integrated Product Support elements, but not much has been updated or shown to be advancing the field or expectations for the new generation of logistics professionals. This paper discusses for improvement, modernizing and trailblazing for logistics and sustainment to reside shoulder-to-shoulder with its engineering and testing counterparts. Additional discussion will highlight where logistics plays a more integrated role in the digital framework as well as where engineering and test can learn and leverage these newfound explorative formations.