Army Secretary Christine Wormuth has signed a directive stating that the assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology will now oversee the military branch’s acquisition workforce and research and development efforts, including science and technology initiatives, Breaking Defense reported Wednesday.
The commanding general of Army Futures Command will coordinate with ASA(ALT) on matters related to acquisition and R&D, act as operational architect and capabilities developer for the future Army and be responsible for force development and design and operation of the service’s research laboratories and centers, according to a May 3rd directive.
“AFC assesses and integrates the future operational environment, emerging threats, and technologies to provide warfighters with the concepts and future force designs needed to dominate a future battlefield,” the directive reads.
Ellen Lovett, a spokesperson for the Army, said the directives issued by the service following the creation of AFC “had the unintended consequence of creating ambiguity in long-established acquisition authorities.
“This administrative change eliminates that ambiguity with clearly defined roles consistent with statute, and will better facilitate collaboration in our modernization and equipping enterprise,” said Lovett.
