Q&A: Colonel N. Lee S. Price
Materiel Deliverer
Ensuring the Acquisition Process Meets Warfighter Requirements
Colonel N. Lee S. Price
Principal Deputy to the USSOCOM
Acquisition Executive and Senior
Procurement Executive, MacDill AFB
Colonel N. Lee S. Price is the principal deputy to the United States Special Operations Command acquisition executive and senior procurement executive at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla. She came to USSOCOM in August, 2005 from her three-year tenure as project manager, Defense Communications and Army Transmission Systems (PM DCATS). As PM DCATS, she was honored as the Army’s Project Manager of the Year in October, 2004. In that position, she was responsible for managing programs valued at over $2 billion that support the national command authorities, combatant commanders, joint services and the Army. Highlights of those three years include: a $300 million project to build a commercial communications network in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait; delivering the first-ever dedicated communications (very small aperture satellite terminals in tandem with a wireless local area network) for combat service support troops; increasing the production by over 1,000 percent on the award-winning vehicle intercom systems; and more than quadrupling the deliveries of Land Mobile Radio systems for a variety of DoD forces and other government agencies.
Prior to becoming PM DCATS, Price established the first strategic communications office for the Army staff’s chief information office/G6. While in her capacity on the Army’s staff she was also a division chief charged with building the systems architectures for the Army’s new brigade combat teams. With more than 19 years of acquisition experience, Price is a certified member of the Army Acquisition Corps.
In 1994, Price became the tactical integration manager for the Defense Message System, Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), and in 1996 became the chief of the director’s group working for the DISA director. In 1997, she became project manager, Defense Information System Network-Pacific, a $2.5 billion joint services program. Subsequently, she served as product manager, Theater Automated Command and Control Information Management System (TACCIMS), in Seoul, Korea. TACCIMS, now the Global Command and Control System–Army in Korea is used by all of the U.S. forces as well as the Republic of Korea’s Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines.
Price began her military career in 1975 as a private first class in the Alabama National Guard, and was later commissioned through Officer’s Candidate School and was transferred to the Signal Corps. She entered active duty in October 1981.
Price has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Alabama in Birmingham and master’s degrees from the University of Arizona and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. Her awards include the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Meritorious Service Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters and the Combat Action Badge.
Colonel Price was interviewed by SOTECH Editor Jeff McKaughan.
Q: Good afternoon Colonel Price. With its acquisition authority and ability to react to the ever-changing combat environment, USSOCOM can efficiently procure the tools to make SOF warriors more effective. Can you explain the nature of USSOCOM’s acquisition authority?
A: It’s good to see you again. I think I should start by providing a bit of perspective on USSOCOM. Our acquisition authority is directly related to our mission, which, to put it briefly, is to engage in a global campaign to help win the long war by defeating today’s terrorists and by preventing tomorrow’s terrorists from developing.
SOCOM’s acquisition authority gives us the tools to execute our mission.
Specifically, Title 10 United States Code, Section 167, vests the SOCOM commander with the responsibility and the authority for the development and acquisition of special operations-peculiar equipment, materiel, supplies and services—items we need for SO activities; for which there is no service-common requirement; or for which the SOCOM commander deems as critically urgent for the immediate accomplishment of an SO activity. SO-peculiar equipment is initially designed for SOF warriors; but it may later be adopted for service-common use by other DoD forces.
The SOCOM commander has delegated his head of agency authority to my boss, the special operations acquisition executive, who is also the director for the Center for Special Operations Acquisition and Logistics. This execution arm of SOCOM acquisition is comprised of program executive officers and program managers who exercise the authority of the special operations acquisition executive by managing their assigned programs. The director of procurement, within the Center for Special Operations Acquisition and Logistics is further delegated the authority to award contracts for the command, to create subordinate contracting offices, and to warrant contracting officers.
Q: Looking back at your time as a program manager in the Army, are there methodologies that the military departments could take from SOCOM on how it handles the acquisition process, or is SOCOM unique unto itself in this regard?
A: It’s similar, but with important differences, kind of an apples and oranges thing, and it all goes back, again, to our mission.
What is similar? SOCOM complies with the same statutory and regulatory measures as do the military departments. And, as with any program manager, SOCOM PEOs and PMs are concerned with cost, schedule and performance. The largest difference is that SOCOM represents a microcosm of DoD 5000, our guiding series of directives and instructions. Our requirements, comptroller and contract personnel; our logisticians and operational testers, as well as the program offices are all located at the same headquarters. This allows us to elevate concerns and issues quickly, when needed, and compresses the coordination cycle time. In this regard, we are unique. What has taken me weeks and months in other organizations can be accomplished in hours and days here.
Another significant difference is our dependency on other organizations for research and development. SOCOM is predominantly a user rather than a developer of technology in that we do not have a dedicated laboratory structure as do the military departments. We’re fortunate to have great strategic partnerships and liaisons with the military departments, across DoD, and other government agencies. We keep an eye on what the Army Research Laboratory and the other services’ research, development and engineering centers are working on and identify technology projects that are of high-to-considerable value to SO activities. When we find a technology or technology project that’s a good fit with SOF requirements, we quickly jump to fielding of prototypes and insertions into ongoing system productions. When you combine that with fewer decision levels in the acquisition process, we can greatly accelerate the schedule and reduce the cost of development.
Q: How often do the program manager, senior staff and your office review various projects to ensure that they are on track both from a performance and funding perspective?
A: I review the status of every urgent deployment acquisition program on a monthly basis. The SOCOM commander reviews every acquisition, technology and logistics program at least once per year. From the requirements and financial management perspectives, a variety of folks formally review our acquisition efforts. Congressional staffers review our acquisitions projects annually, as do the SOCOM assessment directors. The SOCOM comptroller, under the Joint Resources Working Group umbrella, that includes representatives from the SOCOM component commands reviews our efforts quarterly. The special operations acquisition executive and I, in my role as his principal deputy, conduct periodic portfolio and execution reviews.
Milestone decision authorities, including the secretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, the special operations acquisition executive, the PEOs and the PMs perform system milestone, design, test and production readiness reviews. PMs chair program integrated process teams, which consist of subject-matter experts and program stakeholders, including user representatives, to perform and track the progress of program tasks. These combined reviews keep us focused on expeditiously getting the right equipment into the hands of our SOF warriors while ensuring efficient use of our nation’s resources.
Q: Virtually every defense contractor out there believes that they have a solution that would fill a SOCOM need and make the special operator safer, more lethal, more mobile and so on. How do you go about sorting through the maze and find the solution that does the most at the most affordable price?
A: SOCOM capability needs are defined, validated and approved within the SOF capabilities integration and development system process, which is managed by the SOCOM J8-Center for Force Structure, Resources, Requirements and Strategic Assessments. Capability needs are developed in a variety of ways including component command combat developments and opportunities identified during SOCOM technology development activities.
The Center for Special Operations Acquisition and Logistics only acquires equipment and systems that provide solutions to capability needs that have been approved by the SOCOM commander or deputy commander.
That being said, defense contractors who believe they may have a solution for SOCOM needs may come in through the SOCOM Technical Industrial Liaison Office and brief us on their products and capabilities. They can reach the SOCOM TILO at (813) 826-9482 or tilo@socom. mil. The SOCOM TILO maintains a searchable database of contractor presentations. That database is a tool for our users and requirements staff when they’re formulating capability needs and for our acquisition staff when they’re searching for potential materiel solutions to established needs.
Q: How easy is it for SOCOM to partner with the military departments and acquire materiel on a joint basis or take advantage of lower pricing for larger quantities?
A: SOCOM has great working relationships with the military departments and their acquisition organizations. We frequently use capabilities of the military departments to support special operations acquisitions.
We have memoranda of agreement with the Army, Navy and Air Force, and uniquely employ a broad range of program management structures based upon our business case analysis of each program’s needs. The special operations acquisition executive has three basic options for managing individual programs. First, we can manage the program in house by designating a SOCOM program manager to execute the program and a SOCOM milestone decision authority. Second, we can manage the program through a program-specific MOA with a military department, designate a PM from the military department, and designate a SOCOM milestone decision authority. Third, we can manage the program through a program specific MOA with a military department, designate a PM from the military department, and designate a milestone decision authority from the military department.
At SOCOM, the majority of our acquisitions are joint in that they support the joint special operations elements of the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps. We don’t often participate in major buys with the military departments, because we only buy special operations-peculiar equipment. We occasionally participate in military department buys if we are acquiring equipment for a SOCOM component that is not associated with that military department. For example, SOCOM buys ground mobility vehicles from the Army for use by SOCOM’s Navy SEALs, while the Army provides those same vehicles to SOCOM’s Army component as Army-common equipment.
Q: Can you give me some examples of SOCOM-style acquisitions that have filled combat mission needs? What is the path that a mission needs statement flows through to go from the field to your office and deliver an end result back to the warfighter?
A: Since September 2001, SOCOM has initiated 64 urgent deployment acquisitions, 18 of which are ongoing. Urgent deployment acquisitions are expedited acquisitions through which we aim on getting the product to the combat user in the field as rapidly as practical, with a goal of achieving initial operational capability in 180 days or less.
What combat mission needs have we filled with these urgent deployment acquisitions? We’ve acquired all-terrain vehicles to replace mule transportation in the mountains of Afghanistan; Coalition video conferencing equipment for remote face-to-face communication among tribal leaders; Blue Force tracking equipment; several unmanned aerial systems, ranging from short-range and man-portable systems to control stations for the long-range Predator system; non-standard commercial vehicles; air-to-ground video downlink systems; multi-spectral targeting systems; anti-structural munitions; ground and air platform armor protection; observation and targeting devices; and various communications, jamming and force protection equipment.
It starts with combat mission needs statements, which are prepared by operational forces to document their urgent and compelling requirements and which they submit to the theater special operations commander. If the theater special operations commander concurs with the combat mission needs statement, he endorses it through the appropriate SOCOM component commander to the SOCOM deputy commander. However, if the SOCOM component commander can satisfy the theater special operations commander’s requirement by realignment of assets, he does so and the process ends there.
If the component commander cannot satisfy the need, he endorses the combat mission needs statement to the headquarters, SOCOM Requirements Directorate, the J8. The J8 forms a rapid response team that analyzes the requirement and potential solutions and prepares recommendations for the deputy commander’s approval or disapproval. The goal for submission of the decision package to the deputy commander is 15 days from initiation of the combat mission needs statement request. If the deputy commander approves the combat mission needs statement, the special operations acquisition executive immediately initiates an urgent deployment acquisition program.
Urgent deployment acquisition programs receive intense executive oversight. Program managers have direct access to the special operations acquisition executive for plan approval and resolution of issues. PMs are required to provide monthly status update briefings to the board I chair each month. I have representatives from across SOCOM in each meeting to collaborate, knock down barriers and to corroborate on the projects; PMs continue to brief each urgent deployment acquisition until it has achieved its full operational capability.
Q: Could you talk a little bit about the appropriated procurement funding for SOCOM? Topping $1.5 billion, it looks like it increased about 20 percent over the FY 2006 level. To fund mission needs requirements, is the funding pulled directly from your procurement dollars, and if so do you have to reduce funding in other areas or do you have a separate budget line for these needs?
A: The increase in this year’s procurement funding is concentrated in three programs: the MH-60 rotary wing aircraft modernization program, the conversion of C-130 aircraft to an interim Combat Talon configuration to mitigate our combat losses and classified operational enhancements.
Combat mission needs statement requirements are resourced from our congressionally provided procurement line item. If and when this line becomes depleted, we can reprogram procurement funds from other programs.
Q: O&M funding also jumped—actually by more than 20 percent. Is your office involved in the allocation and distribution of those funds?
A: The Center for Special Operations Acquisition and Logistics isn’t a significant user of O&M. We use some O&M to support program management activities, to pay civilian personnel salaries, and to sustain systems and equipment. A portion of the 2007 O&M increase is provided to sustain equipment purchased in previous years with supplemental funds and combat mission requirements procurement funds.
The significant increase in O&M for this year is to resource the growth of SOCOM capabilities that were approved by the secretary of defense and Congress as essential to fight the global war on terrorism. This growth includes the incorporation of the Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command as a SOCOM component command, plus some additional growth in the United States Army Special Operations Command, the Air Force Special Operations Command, the Naval Special Warfare Command, the theater special operations commands and the SOCOM headquarters.
Q: According to USSOCOM Commander General Doug Brown, SOCOM is growing. Could you give us a synopsis of your organizational changes and personnel requirements?
A: In fighting the long war, SOCOM is rapidly growing to expand its global presence. We will undergo unprecedented growth in the next five years and add more than 13,000 people. This growth adds new capabilities to find and track terrorist networks as well as expanding our capacity to conduct the indirect approach around the globe. In addition, we will continue to work closely with many U.S. government agencies and partner nations to apply the full spectrum of capabilities needed to defeat global terrorism and prevent its reemergence.
During FY07 and FY08, the Center for Special Operations Acquisition and Logistics will grow by around 100 government civilian and military personnel. This 50 percent growth represents the first significant workforce increase in SOCOM’s acquisition center since the early 1990s.
The increase will allow us to complete the staffing of several new offices that we had previously taken out of hide. The majority of the new positions will be filled by acquisition and procurement professionals who possess or meet the qualifications required by the Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act.
One of the new offices is the Program Executive Office, SOF Warrior, which was established in October 2005 and was originally staffed with existing Center for Special Operations Acquisition and Logistics personnel and support contractors. Over the next 18 months, SOCOM will add additional government personnel to this vital office. PEO SW provides systems to enhance the capabilities of the SOF warrior as an integrated system, such as force protection equipment, individual weapons, ammunition, demolitions, individual clothing and personal equipment, night vision and electro optics, and ground mobility systems.
Another new office is our Program Executive Office, Mission Training and Preparation Systems that was established in October 2006 to handle the increase in needed SO-peculiar mission planning, preview, rehearsal, and training systems. PEO MTPS is using a system-of-systems approach to integrate SOF air, ground and sea simulators into a common environment to provide a seamless architecture.
Additionally, we established a senior executive service-level position for the Program Executive Office, Mobility. PEO Mobility will provide common special operations platforms, systems and technology for fixed wing, rotary wing, maritime and ground platform acquisition programs.
PEO Mobility will also be responsible for planning and implementing adaptive and transformational strategies that synchronize all platform modification and modernization programs.
Q: To wrap things up, is there anything else you would like to add that we haven’t covered?
A: SOCOM forces are truly the “tip of the spear.” Our job in the Center for Special Operations Acquisition and Logistics is to take care of that force by equipping it with the tools they need, whether they are prosecuting a direct action to defeat today’s terrorists or affecting an indirect activity by shaping an environment inhospitable to future terrorists. I come to work each day thrilled to be a part of this world-class team. ♦