Marine Lance Cpl. Sebastiane Megariz, left, and Sgt. Jeffery Addison Jr. regroup after rigging tactical vehicles onto a CH-53E Super Stallion during a Weapons and Tactics Instructor course near Yuma, Ariz., March 29, 2021.
Friday, April 02, 2021
Exercise Partners
The USS Wichita conducts a bilateral maritime exercise with Dominican vessels in the Caribbean Sea, March 24, 2021.
Desert Security
Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Michael Bouie Jr. provides security during a basic assault support exercise at a training site near Yuma, Ariz., March 31, 2021.
Ceremonial Performance
Members of the U.S. Army Band, "Pershing's Own," perform at a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., March 25, 2021.
Load Crew
Airmen load a high mobility artillery rocket system onto an MC-130J Commando II during training at Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England, March 25, 2021.
Watchful Eyes
Navy Seaman Abigail Georges stands watch aboard the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Mediterranean Sea, March 31, 2021.
Awareness Run
Army Command Sgt. Maj. LaDerek Green participates in a 5k run/walk in observance of Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month at Camp Walker, South Korea, April 1, 2021.
Secretary of Defense Statement on Latest Defense Department Nominees
April 2, 2021
The following statement is attributable to Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III:
"I am delighted by the President's decision to nominate Ron Moultrie, Michael Brown, and Mike McCord to serve as Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence & Security, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, and Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller), respectively. Each of these individuals is talented, experienced and highly qualified for the critical national security roles they will, if confirmed, undertake on behalf of the Department. Their deep experience in national security will prove essential in guiding our efforts to defend this nation and secure our interests around the world. I thank them for being willing to serve the country again, and I look forward to working with the Senate for their speedy confirmation."
Secretary of Defense Offers Condolence Statement Regarding Today's Tragic Incident on Capitol Hill
April 2, 2021
The following statement is attributable to Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III:
On behalf of the men and women of the Department of Defense, I offer my deepest condolences to the Capitol Police and to the family of the officer killed in today’s tragic incident on Capitol Hill. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by this loss, and we offer our best wishes for a speedy recovery of the injured officer. Events like this remind us of the bravery and skill of law enforcement professionals and of our shared commitment to protecting and defending this great country and its institutions. I remain enormously proud of our National Guard troops supporting the Capitol Police and grateful for their quick reaction this afternoon.
Replenishment Trio
The USS Theodore Roosevelt, the USS Bunker Hill and the Royal Australian Navy HMAS Sirius sail in formation during a replenishment in the Indian Ocean, March 21, 2021.
Log Leap
Marine Corps recruit Devin A. McGill clears an obstacle during training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, April 1, 2021.
To Better Equip Warfighters, Sustainment Must Be Built In
April 2, 2021 |
Most of the life cycle costs of a U.S. military program are spent on sustainment and operations — not acquisition. To better support warfighters, sustainment must be considered early on in a program's development, said the principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment.
"On average, 70 cents on the dollar over the life cycle of a program is spent on sustainment and operations," said Stacy A. Cummings during a keynote address today before the 2021 Logistics Officer Association Symposium. "With this in mind, we must continue to emphasize the importance of designing for sustainment in order to reduce the demand for logistic support and maximize the availability of systems over their long life cycles."
Sustainment requirements must be "baked into" the design of a material solution in order to deliver long-term operational availability and better support warfighters, Cumming said.
Cummings said several efforts her office is working on now or has worked on in the past year support that goal.
In August 2020, A&S published a major revision to DODI [Department of Defense Instruction] 4151.22, "Condition-Based Maintenance Plus for Materiel Maintenance," Cumming said.
"CBM+ is the cornerstone of DOD strategy to shift weapon system sustainment from reactive to predictive maintenance approaches," she said. "Through a combination of predictive maintenance concepts, enabling technologies and data analytics, CBM+ strategies will transform sustainment to achieve better performance and affordability."
Cumming said acquiring or establishing agreements to access necessary technical data, provisioning and cataloging spares, and establishing organic repair capabilities are just some of the areas where planning for sustainment is often lacking.
To address those things, she said, A&S is in the process of publishing DODI 5000.91, "Product Support Management for the Adaptive Acquisition Framework."
"This instruction lays the foundation for planning and managing product support in each of the adaptive acquisition framework's six pathways," she said. "It details the statutory directive and regulatory product support requirements, and it enables tailored product support solutions for each pathway."
The six adaptive acquisition framework pathways are: urgent capability acquisition, middle tier of acquisition, major capability acquisition, software acquisition, defense business systems and acquisition of services.
The A&S office is also revising the DODI 3110.05, or "Readiness-Based Material Condition Reporting," a document she said serves as DOD's authoritative material readiness reporting guidance.
"It leverages the collective work accomplished by the services and OSD to reform logistics for better performance and affordability," she said. "This and other ongoing initiatives will provide a lexicon and common metrics for measuring and reporting the status of DOD sustainment enterprise weapon systems. Ultimately, these changes will better enable the services to target the most promising systemic cost and material readiness drivers."
Sailor Safety
Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Gabriel T. Ramos checks an MK-38 25 mm machine gun weapon system during a gunnery exercise aboard the USS Michael Murphy in the Pacific Ocean, Feb. 2, 2021.
Lugging a Log
Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Chris Miyake helps clean up Lunga Park at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., March 12, 2021.
All Aboard
Marines board the USS Lewis B. Puller from an inflatable boat during visit, board, search and seizure training in the Persian Gulf, March 19, 2021.
Self Reflection
Marine Corps Cpl. Reed Bunyard posts security during Exercise Caribbean Urban Warrior at Camp Lejeune, N.C., March 22, 2021. The bilateral training is designed to increase global interoperability.
Immersion Training
A service member participates in cold-water immersion training at Fort McCoy, Wis., March 19, 2021.
Community Vaccination Site
Army Spc. Kailee L. Soares, a combat medical specialist assigned to the Task Force Kauai with Hawaii National Guard's Joint Task Force, administers the COVID-19 vaccine to eligible Kauai residents at the Kauai War Memorial Convention Hall in Kauai, Hawaii, March 25, 2021. Soares and fellow medic, Army Spc. Hezekiah J. Pacheco, assist the Kauai District Health Office with in-processing and vaccinations. The medics alone have inoculated more than 200 residents with the Moderna vaccine in an effort to assist the county in mitigating the immediate threat to life resulting from COVID-19.
Getting Ready
Army Spc. Brandon Hatfield, right, a health care specialist assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, prepares his work station before administering vaccines to community members at the state-run, federally-supported Wolstein Community Vaccination Center in Cleveland, March 22, 2021. Hatfield said that he feels humbled to be a part of such an important mission.
Sailor Supervision
Navy Seaman Bethany Cruz works as a surface warfare supervisor during training aboard the USS Curtis Wilbur in the East China Sea, March 27, 2021.
Combat Rehearsal
Marine Corps joint light tactical vehicles maneuver to a vehicle staging area during a theater amphibious combat rehearsal in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, March 7, 2021.
Airborne Agility
A Navy MH-60S Seahawk helicopter conducts a flight maneuver during high-altitude landing training at Naval Air Station Fallon, Nev., March 30, 2021.
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