Army, Air Force to reorganize headquarters.

• Author: Book, Elizabeth G.
• Position: Washington Pulse - Acquisition process changes - Brief Article

The Army acquisition process will undergo significant changes as a result of the service's restructuring plan. The Army Acquisition Executive will have authority over all program managers and acquisition functions currently under the Army Materiel Command. Changes also are expected in the program executive office (PEO) structure. During a December news conference, Army Secretary Thomas White said that a new contracting agency would be created to coordinate Army contracts and supervise regional contracting offices.

White's plan also will overhaul the requirements process. The deputy chief of staff for operations and plans, the G-3, will assume responsibilities for requirements, a function currently performed by the head of the Training and Doctrine Command.

White said that TRADOC typically sets requirement in a "fiscally unconstrained" environment, which is not realistic. In the future, he said, "We will have--from day one--consideration of the financial impact of requirements right alongside with the operational concerns that generate requirements."

Additionally, White announced the creation of an executive office of the Army headquarters, which will merge the Army secretariat and the chief of staff. The headquarters will include the Army secretary, undersecretary, chief of staff and vice chief of staff.

"We've got to have one Army headquarters," White said. "We've got to free up people from the headquarters and push them--and associated money--our to the war fighters."

The...