PLEASE CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE
Tuesday, December 01, 2015
Tuesday, September 01, 2015
Seizing the Moment in Small Business Federal Government Contracting
 |
| Image: Zett.com |
Trends on the horizon point to a bright future for small business in federal government contracting.
The federal government is meeting small business contracting goals.
In 2014, for the first time, the feds exceeded the legal requirement of 23% with a 24.9% achievement or $91.7B in contracts to small business. The 23% goal mandated by Congress had not been met at the total government level for years.
Times are Good for Small Business Contractors
The feds are also moving to lowest priced, technically acceptable contracting, driven by budgetary pressures
Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA)
Small business is uniquely qualified for this type of work, particularly in the services sector, due to lower overhead and G&A rates, as well as agility in work force development.
New industries like Robotics, 3D Printing, Energy, Environmental Protection, Security IT and Geo-spatial IT are creating fields for small enterprises to compete against bigger firms or lead teams involving larger businesses on large scale projects.
Government small business set-aside procurement is on the rise and becoming recognized by many agencies as a way to remove stodgy, entrenched companies when long term contracts come up for renewal. These agencies look to smaller firms for cost effective, vibrant management, while inheriting an existing, trained, incumbent work force available to the winner. The process can dramatically grow smaller firms.
Managing Incumbent Work Forces
PREPARATION
A small business anticipating participation in the federal contracting market must make pursuing it part of a long term strategy. Success in government contracting does not happen overnight.
Like any other market venue, a niche must be located, market research must confirm the need for products and/or services and the competition; the customer and the potential sales must assessed. Unlike many other fields, success relies on early requirements identification and strong marketing.
7 Tips for Lean Federal Budget Times
Marketing to Achieve a Small Business Set-aside Contract
5 Factors in Forming a Small Business Contracting Company
The government contracting market allows a small business to pass on the costs of operations at a project level as well as write off company-wide expenses if allocated in a defined manner to single government cost objectives (contracts).
Small business can also operate in a lower risk environment with contract types suited to the challenges involved. The trade-offs to these features are requirements for audits and job cost accounting that require verified consistency from cost estimating to billing and contract closeout. This does not occur without preparation.
Small Business Sytems Development
Entering the market requires carefully sculpting commercial past performance into prospective government contract performance and accumulating strong customer satisfaction ratings. The feds talk to each other.
Meeting the Past Performance Challenge
Business Ethics and Past Performance
EXECUTION
With the right combination of planning, preparation and opportunity, a small enterprise can seize the moment with:
Identification of specific opportunities that fit company capabilities
Small Business and FEDBIZZOPS
Astute bid/no bid decisions
Making an Astute Bid/No Bid Decision
A solid team of resources both internal and external
Vital Tips for Project Management
Managing Industry Teaming Relationships
A Winning proposal, effective project start-up/execution and quality products and services
Government Contract Proposal Preparation
SUMMARY
The small business segment of the huge federal government contacting market is poised to grow exponentially due to advances in technology and the need for flexibility, mobility, agility and economic performance.
Rule changes are being considered to enhance entrance of commercial enterprises into to the government contacting venue. Congress and the federal agencies are looking hard at constructive changes to make the challenges we have discussed here easier to meet for the small enterprise. But the rules change slowly.
The Government and Innovative Technology
Seize the small business contracting moment by being diligent in learning about the market and pursuing it. Make your company well equipped to succeed:
- Define your niche
- Learn the rules
- Plan
- Prepare
- Execute
Saturday, August 01, 2015
Meeting Veteran & Employer Challenges During Transition from Military to Civilian Work
 |
| Image Eastern Illinois University |
Expectations and Reality are Far Apart on Both Sides of the Employment Spectrum
By Ken Larson
Aside from the legal and moral obligations to employ returning veterans, there is a third, vital challenge in the employment transition equation: understanding the vast difference between the military and civilian work environments. The expectations of both parties must be carefully assessed and communicated with realistic processes for effective transition from military to civilian employment by the veteran.
Civilian Knowledge of the Military Environment Has Diminished
As a country, America has been at war nonstop for the past 13 years. As a public, it has not. A total of about 2.5 million Americans, roughly three-quarters of 1 percent, served in Iraq or Afghanistan at any point in the post-9/11 years, many of them more than once.
The Tragedy of the American Military
War was much closer to home when the draft existed and military participation ran higher during WW II and the Vietnam Conflict.
The Nature of Today's Wars and a Cynicism with Regard to Their Outcome Impacts the Veteran and the Civilian Outlook
Ultimately, the military’s discontent may stem from dissonance between the commitment to, and pride in, the mission in Iraq and Afghanistan and the knowledge that these sacrifices have not yielded the desired results.
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan arguably have prompted a crisis of confidence within the military itself.
Despite a six-year, $287 million effort to make troops more optimistic and resilient, an Army survey found that 52 percent of soldiers scored badly on questions that measured optimism, while 48 percent reported having little satisfaction or commitment to their job.
Understanding the Military's Morale Crisis
Veterans bring these issues home and find a civilian employment environment that does not have a focus on combat life and death, but rather an emphasis on long term thinking, collaboration, viewing actions with respect to the impact on internal and external customers and politically correct human resource considerations.
The assumption on the part of the employer is that the strength and training of the individual coming out of the military environment permits a reasonable transition. It does not.
We Must Educate and Develop Programs to Bridge the Gap from Both Ends.
A transition partnership between the veteran and the company is necessary. Expectations must be adjusted to reflect the differences in both venues.
Military core values such as – oaths, the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), a culture of direct command, and a narrow focus on the task at hand are no longer available when the veteran leaves the military.
In the civilian environment political correctness, strategic group awareness, tact, organization factors, and a broad view of mission and achievement are required.
A veteran is therefore not so much entitled to a job as he or she is entitled to be understood, and to be allowed to understand the civilian job environment, growing into it.
Professional Roles are Vital
There are two important types of professional roles to consider when hiring and managing military veterans in the business venue.
As a veteran who made the transition to civilian professional work and ultimately owned a small enterprise, and as a counselor who supports veterans in becoming business owners, my experience over several decades indicates military men and women do well in Role 1 below. They have the most challenges with Role 2.
VS
Role 2- ManagementFunctional process capacities responsible for hiring, evaluation, supervision, compliance with civilian law and department activities involving group dynamics, customer relations and sensitive human factors.
 |
http://themilitarywallet.com/military-to-civilian-transition-tips/ |
I knew how to direct people who followed orders without question because the Uniform Code of Military Justice to which we swore an oath said they must do so.
I felt uncomfortable in jobs involving Role 2 above because they were foreign to me. I later adjusted, learned the venue and became skilled as a manager in the corporate world. I preferred staff assignments, however for most of my career.
The corporate venue seemed enormously political and bureaucratic to a former war fighter like me. I was not that tactful. I cut to the chase often and did not always take everyone with me when I made a decision.
Once I grew into a Role 2 performer, I found in interviewing, hiring, evaluating and managing young veterans, even seasoned ones, who had retired and joined the civilian work force, that almost all were better suited for Role 1. It took years and effort on my part to fit them into Role 2 and some never made it.
The principal reason for the logic conveyed above is that the military environment may seem to be structured in a way that fits Role 2, but the military does not turn out individuals who are suited in the knowledge and experience necessary in the civilian environment and they are not very good at it without extensive training and adaptation.
Enterprises have multiple-faceted challenges and they require multiple- faceted people. Even though individuals may hold a specific position job title, success in the civilian work force demands avenues where the human resource can contribute in multiple ways.
If a contributor has experience and training in several areas the business can utilize, that makes him or her a valuable resource and it is likely they will be professionally fulfilled and rewarded from doing so. Military personnel have specialty training and focus; few have a wide view of what is in front of them, particularly with respect to military vs. civilian professional settings.
It all comes down to the workers having an element of control in the future success for both themselves and the company and having the opportunity to realize their potential in that regard.
If the professional is in a narrow, technical discipline and his or her expectations are to have others support them in that role or if they are more comfortable in a "Stove-piped" professional setting and not attuned to group dynamics and the often politically correct nature of the civilian organization, they perhaps belong in technical roles and they do not belong in management roles at the onset of their employ.
Summary
In fairness to veterans and to our hopes for them in the future, we must understand these above distinctions, build on Role 1, understand the risk in Role 2 and assist wherever possible.
Above all, a respectful partnership and realistic expectations must evolve between the veteran and the company for success in transitioning former military personnel into the civilian work force. This must be achieved through education, training, communication and assessment of both the veteran and the company personnel
About the Author:Ken Larson is a 2 Tour US Army Vietnam Veteran, retired after 36 Years in the Defense Industrial Complex, having worked on 25 major weapons systems, many of which are in use today in the Middle East. He concluded his career with his own consulting firm. As a MicroMentor Volunteer Counselor Ken receives many inquiries from small companies wishing to enter or enhance their position in federal government contracting.
Wednesday, July 01, 2015
Portrait of a Crooked Government Contractor
 |
| Image: The Economist |
COMPUTER SCIENCES CORPORATION (CSC) – Waste, Fraud and Abuse BY THE NUMBERS
Financial Manipulation
“SEC Press Release”
” The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged Computer Sciences Corporation and former executives with manipulating financial results and concealing significant problems about the company’s largest and most high-profile contract.CSC agreed to pay a $190 million penalty to settle the charges, and five of the eight charged executives agreed to settlements. ”
Securities and Exchange Commission Press Release
Resume Padding, Time Card Fraud and Kickbacks
“Project on Government Oversight”
“This wasn’t CSC’s first run-in with its federal customers. In 2000, CSC’s credit services unit paid $6.4 million to settle allegations that it made false claims for payment on federal student loan programs.
A few months earlier, CSC paid $8,730 to settle fraudulent billing allegations on a contract with the Defense Commissary Agency. In that instance, CSC employees were accused of charging the government for the time they were attending college classes.
In 2005, CSC reimbursed the government $1.3 million after discovering a former employee, over a nine-year period, billed NASA for payments made to fictitious companies.
In 2008, CSC agreed to fork over almost $1.4 million to resolve a False Claims Act lawsuit alleging it took part in a massive kickback and bribery scheme among federal IT contractors dating back to the 1990s.”
False Claims, Securities Litigation, Software Litigation
“Project on Government Oversight”
“Founded in 1959, Computer Sciences Corporation is a global information technology (IT) services company. With approximately 80,000 employees, CSC provides systems design and integration, IT and business process outsourcing, applications software development, Web and application hosting, and management consulting.
Total Number of Instances: 8″
Contractor Misconduct Data Base - CSC
A History of Government Cronyism and Poor Performance for Over a Decade
“Washington Post” 2005
“Groundbreaker, a $2 billion effort to modernize and outsource the agency’s [NSA] electronics infrastructure, including computers, software and networks.
A CSC-led team in 2001 won the Groundbreaker contract. As part of the contract, about 1,000 NSA employees became employees of CSC or one of its teammates.
Groundbreaker and Trailblazer were supposed to work together, but both are believed to be behind schedule and over budget, Aid said. “You cannot do one without the other,” he said.
Hayden, in his testimony in April, acknowledged that NSA initially had mishandled the Trailblazer contract. “We learned within Trailblazer that when we asked industry for something they had or something close to what they already had, they were remarkable in providing us a response, an outcome,”
Hayden told the committee. “When we asked them for something that no one had yet invented, they weren’t any better at inventing it than we were in doing it ourselves.”
Trail Blazer Loses Its Way
Why is the contractor still doing business spending your taxes under billions in active contracts? We suggest you inquire with your Senator and your Congressman.
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Remembering Gordy Schmidt - Vietnam Veteran, Gardener & Artist
Gordon Charles Schmidt, 69, of Hastings, MN, passed away unexpectedly Saturday June 6th 2015 while gardening at the Minnesota Veterans Home of Hastings. Gordon Charles Schmidt Obituary
I often met Gordy Schmidt at Lake Rebecca in Hastings on one of his many long walks.
I would fish and he would take in some sun along the trails and at the park.
I learned of his tremendous craftsmanship with wood A Veteran's New Found Passion and also observed his love of gardening.
Together with Doug, his gardening buddy at the Vets home, the two had beautiful showcases every year. Gordy specialized in flowers and Doug was the vegetable expert. I worked with them to get soil samples sent to the U of M and watched their artistry through my window in Building 25 just above the Vermillion River.
Another fond memory is Gordy's keen eye for dangerous tree limbs along the trails and holes in the ground in the parks that could break an ankle. Together we would take photos of the dangerous areas and send an email to my contacts at the city parks department and they would come out to cut the limbs and fill the holes. With 25 miles of trails to maintain, they appreciated Gordy's keen eye.
We will miss Gordy and his artistry in several venues.
I would fish and he would take in some sun along the trails and at the park.
I learned of his tremendous craftsmanship with wood A Veteran's New Found Passion and also observed his love of gardening.
Together with Doug, his gardening buddy at the Vets home, the two had beautiful showcases every year. Gordy specialized in flowers and Doug was the vegetable expert. I worked with them to get soil samples sent to the U of M and watched their artistry through my window in Building 25 just above the Vermillion River.
Another fond memory is Gordy's keen eye for dangerous tree limbs along the trails and holes in the ground in the parks that could break an ankle. Together we would take photos of the dangerous areas and send an email to my contacts at the city parks department and they would come out to cut the limbs and fill the holes. With 25 miles of trails to maintain, they appreciated Gordy's keen eye.
We will miss Gordy and his artistry in several venues.
Rest in Peace Gordy,
Ken
Sunday, March 01, 2015
THE VA - AN UPDATE BY A SERVICE VETERAN ON DEPARTMENT PROGRESS AND PROCLIVITIES
Records Backlog at a VA Center
HISTORY
In September of 2012 this site published an article on the VA and its efforts to
improve services to veterans as well as support small business. It
was noted from personal experience that excellent care was being
received by those in the system but that there was a growing backlog
of cases and lack of an effective process to support getting a faster
rate of entrance by those returning from the battlefield.
Also
noted were disturbing trends in outlandishly expensive conferences
and ridiculous video productions, wasting funds earmarked for veteran
care. Red flags were going up in the Inspector General office
regarding mismanagement of small business set aside programs as well.
UPDATE
Much
as occurred since September of 2012.
Last
month (January 2015) I visited the VA in Minneapolis for a blood
analysis in connection with my annual physical. I marveled at the
hundreds of personnel who were going through the blood draw process
at 8AM that morning. Polite technicians handled everyone carefully
and courteously. My test results were on my doctor's computer for my
11 AM appointment that day.
In
2012 I used the VA hospital courtesy center computers for veterans,
finding them hopelessly out of date, security-bound and barely
functioning. During my January 2015 visit I found beautifully
functioning high speed computers and a courteous attendant serving
many veterans at the the center
.
On my
most recent visit I also went to the department that handles I.D.
Cards and applied for a new one, having been informed my card was out
of date. I was attended by a sharp technician who checked my
credentials, transferred by data, took my picture and processed my
application inside of 20 minutes and I was behind several others.
We
who are in the system are still receiving fine service.
But
the massive number of returning veterans has strained the VA Health
Care System to the point where the Department Secretary has been fired. A corporate executive from outside the system has been placed in
charge. The department has been massively reorganized into 5
regions across the country to deal with a scandalous scenario of wait
times and neglect in services for incoming veterans.
We
forecast the above situation. It is principally due to the fact that the 5 armed forces medical records systems are not connected to the VA Health Care
System and the government contractors who have attempted to develop a
system to connect them have failed miserably.
"Next Gov"
" Defense and VA Scrap New Electronic Health Record after estimated costs ballooned to $28 billion. By Congress’ count, the doomed effort – a result of the 2008 Defense Authorization Act – already cost taxpayers more than $1 billion. "
"Next Gov"
" Defense and VA Scrap New Electronic Health Record after estimated costs ballooned to $28 billion. By Congress’ count, the doomed effort – a result of the 2008 Defense Authorization Act – already cost taxpayers more than $1 billion. "
THE
FUTURE
Congress
is focusing on firing personnel as a remedy. In our view that is
symptom-like remedy, not a solution.
We now
have a corporate bureaucrat in charge of the department who is
running it like a corporation, reorganizing and establishing a
5-headed bureau under him. There will no doubt be 5 separate fiefdoms
to manage. Who knows what will happen to requirements for IT as
existing IT system designs get split 5 ways?
Government contracting services companies
are continuing to have a field day, growing rich and failing in the
classic fashion we saw with the Obama Care roll out. Success is not a money-making proposition for these firms. They get their monthly bills paid as they march hundreds of service workers into government buildings to catch the latest whim of the civil service program managers as they change specifications depending on which way the wind is blowing in the massive bureaucracy.
We
believe those who are lucky enough to have entered the system will
continue to receive good care.
We pity those younger or seasoned injured and ill who are knocking on the door and waiting to get in.
We pity those younger or seasoned injured and ill who are knocking on the door and waiting to get in.
Monday, December 01, 2014
Friday, August 01, 2014
Why is the US Spending So Much Money on Fighting a War that has Claimed so Few US Victims?
Image: Sodahead dot com
QUESTION ON QUORA:
"The
cost of war is in the trillions. That type of money could have saved
hundreds of thousands of lives in the medical industry or literally
millions of lives in the developing world. Why is the US spending so
much money on fighting a war that has claimed so few US victims?"
OUR ANSWER:
Aside from the threat of another 911 and the fact that we
have lost over 4,000 young soldier’s lives, the real reason is there is money
in it for big business and the Military Industrial Complex. War is a racket. So is occupying under the
guise of democracy. People make big money at it and an entire Military
Industrial Complex thrives on it.
The details of exactly how this occurs were in a warning by President Eisenhower as he left office. His words were very prophetic:
The details of exactly how this occurs were in a warning by President Eisenhower as he left office. His words were very prophetic:
The Military Industrial Complex (MIC) consists of both the Pentagon and
the contractors that serve it, their lobbying firms and the
politicians who promote weapons systems, incursions and services to
the government for profit and gain.
The MIC has tremendous power, even though it is presently being tested by Sequestration. For further details and specific example of how the MIC has influenced our decision makers and contributed to the deaths of our finest youth, please see the following:
ABOUT THE MILITARY INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX
It is corrupt and driven by corporate influence:
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2007/11/halliburton200711
It is broken and riddled with incompetence:
It is broken and riddled with incompetence:
http://rosecoveredglasses.blogspot.com/2008/04/us-federal-government-procurement.html
http://rosecoveredglasses.blogspot.com/2007/01/what-american-public-must-know-about.html
A quote many years ago from Major-General Smedley D. Butler: Common Sense (November 1935)
" I spent thirty-three years and four months in active service as a member of our country's most agile military force---the Marine Corps. I have served in all commissioned ranks from a second lieutenant to major-general. And during that period I spent most of my time being a high-class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street, and for the bankers, In short I was a racketeer for capitalism
Thus, I helped make Mexico and especially Tampico safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place to live for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in…. I helped purify Nicaragua for the international banking house of Brown Brothers in 1909-1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for American Sugar interests in 1916. I helped make Honduras "right" for American fruit companies in 1903. In China in1927 I helped see to it that Standard Oil went its way unmolested. During those years I had, as the boys in the back room would say, a swell racket. I was rewarded honors, medals, promotion. Looking back on it, I feel I might have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was operate his racket in three city districts. We Marines operated on three continents. War Is A Racket"
The beat goes on today with the KBR's the Lockheed Martins and the other huge corporations supplying and supporting wars.
Every major aerospace company from IBM to Lockheed Martin and Boeing has totally stand-alone divisions that serve as cost centers and pursue monumental interests in the politics of government and the billions in service contracts that are outsourced there. This has gone on for years. I watched it for 3 decades on the inside of these companies.
These companies routinely spend more in lobbying expenses than they pay in income taxes each year.
http://www.ibtimes.com/30-major-us-corporations-paid-more-lobby-congress-income-taxes-2008-2010-380982
The interests of these firms is now changing slightly with Sequestration and many are making acquisitions and marketing services in the Health Care sectors or escalating their interests in civil aviation, education and other fields.
If it was too costly to do business with the government, 302,315 companies and some of the largest corporations in the world would not be involved in it. See the below link to contract awards and amounts in 2010 to large enterprises:
1. LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION
- $34,288,619,722The interests of these firms is now changing slightly with Sequestration and many are making acquisitions and marketing services in the Health Care sectors or escalating their interests in civil aviation, education and other fields.
If it was too costly to do business with the government, 302,315 companies and some of the largest corporations in the world would not be involved in it. See the below link to contract awards and amounts in 2010 to large enterprises:
2. THE BOEING COMPANY 19,358,512,809
3. NORTHROP GRUMMAN CORPORATION 15,472,742,729
4. GENERAL DYNAMICS CORPORATION 14,903,216,900
5. RAYTHEON COMPANY 14,880,453,061
6. L-3 COMMUNICATIONS HOLDINGS, INC. 7,629,644,919
7. UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION 7,330,023,190
8. OSHKOSH CORPORATION 7,197,520,183
9. SAIC, INC. 6,595,330,339
10. BAE SYSTEMS PLC 6,587,705,335
Saturday, June 21, 2014
Goodbye to a Great Friend
One
of the finest Labs in town, a great friend and a Nabisco Graham Cracker
aficionado. Please accept our memorial off "Sadie Point"
and rest in peace.
Saturday, February 01, 2014
NOW AVAILABLE - FREE 2014 SUPPLEMENT TO SMALL BUSINESS FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING GUIDEBOOK
Friday, January 17, 2014
Wednesday, January 01, 2014
What is a True Personal Story of Yours that People Have a Hard Time Believing?
 |
During the course of our conversation I learned he was an executive with a casino operation in the US and had immigrated in the late 70's from Saigon.
We further established that we had been on opposite sides of the US/Vietnam conflict and had more than likely been firing our weapons at each other during the Tet Offensive in January of 1968.
We both had too many details of the battle near Tan Son Nhut Air Base for it to be any form of coincidence.
Tet Offensive
When we arrived at Houston, he bought me a meal and we became friends. We are still in touch today.
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Quora Top Writer 2013 Award
A Neat Award from Quora. Quill and Ink badge on Quora profile and a fleece jacket with emblem.
This year's class includes 650 writers representing over 40 countries.
Click on page linked below for quill and ink badge to view details. (no registration required).
https://www.quora.com/Ken-Larson
This year's class includes 650 writers representing over 40 countries.
Click on page linked below for quill and ink badge to view details. (no registration required).
https://www.quora.com/Ken-Larson
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Sunday, December 01, 2013
The US Army's Future Mission is Vague, Leaving Industry with Little Direction
Photo
"Go Army. com"
As
an Army Veteran, and having worked in Aerospace over 3 decades to support Army programs, I found the below article by
John Keller, Editor in Chief, "Military & Aerospace Electronics"
magazine an objective and disturbing piece.
Note the references to mission vacuum and lack of civilian leadership in
Washington D.C.
John
highlights that as the nation is struggling with stagnated politics the
services are hampered by a lack of hard information to plan ahead.
Mr.
Keller introduces a historical perspective and an excellent view of the hard
issues, challenges and uncertainty that the Army and industry in its supporting
role are facing today.
"MILITARY
AND AEROSPACE ELECTRONICS":
"A
variety of factors are gathering into a potential perfect storm that could threaten the U.S. Army's future
mission, the continuing relevance of the
oldest American military service, and how the defense industry can move forward
to support the Army's needs.
Some
of these factors are well-known: sequestration, dim prospects for budget growth, and substantial technology
research and development that for most
practical purposes has come nearly to a dead-stop.
Perhaps
most serious, however, is how top military and civilian leadership define the Army's role moving into
the future, the top threats the Army
will evolve to meet, and the very relevance of a large standing Army in an era when large-scale,
big-iron military land battles appear to
be part of the past.
Here's
where we are today: U.S. military forces are finishing their exit from Iraq, where they have operated for
more than a decade. Their final exit
from Afghanistan is but a few years off, or less. When operations on Southwest Asia are completed,
where does the Army go from there?
The
Army has had a clear set of missions since
the U.S. entered World War II in 1941. Although the close of the
Second World War in 1945 saw a rapid
drawdown in U.S. military power, the
strengthening Soviet Union was on everyone's mind.
Less
than five years after World War II ended, North Korea invaded South Korea, which created another sudden and
dire mission for the Army. That mission
grew from containing North Korean forces to containing Communism around the world, which continued
until the fall of the Berlin Wall in
1990. One year later, Iraq invaded Kuwait, which gave rise to Operation Desert Shield, and eventually the
military ouster of Iraqi forces from
Kuwait in Operation Desert Storm, in which the Army played a central role.
For
the next decade, keeping an eye on a contained-but-restless Iraqi military, on ethnic strife in what then was
Yugoslavia, and on other simmering hot
spots throughout the world held the Army's attention and helped define its mission.
Today
things are different. Counter-insurgency operations are nearing an end in Iraq and Afghanistan, Russia does
not pose the immediate military threat
that did its predecessors of the Soviet Union, and Europe has been relatively quiet.
Still,
trouble spots persist in areas like Syria and Iran, but with no open conflict yet involving U.S. Army
forces. There is no immediate and dire
threat in these areas, and hence no clear Army mission-at least not yet.
So
how does the Army move forward? Counter-insurgency, certainly. Special Forces
capability, of course. But what's the
role of the large Army infrastructure involving
large combat infantry units, main battle tanks, armored fighting
vehicles, and other organizations designed for large ground conflicts?
I'm
not sure there is a role, and I'm not convinced that the top Army leadership today knows what its role in the
future will be, either. Maybe the Army
is at a moment of transition, and leaders will get a handle on the Army's core mission sometime
soon. With the civilian leadership
vacuum we have in Washington, I'm not sure the Army will be able to do so. If Army leaders are unable to
define the Army's long-term mission
clearly, then the defense industry will have no idea how to proceed, other than to guess.
These
factors were on display just below the surface last month at the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA). What
was striking in exhibits was a lack of
direction in where we go from here. It was as though the industry were pointing out to the Army
officers walking the aisles how far
technology has led us to this moment, yet pleading for direction on where the industry should go from here."
About
the Author:
John Keller is editor-in-chief of Military &
Aerospace Electronics magazine, which
provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronic and optoelectronic technologies in
military, space, and commercial aviation applications. A member of the Military
& Aerospace Electronics staff since the magazine's founding in 1989, Mr.
Keller took over as chief editor in 1995.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)