PEO Perspective: December 2020

RECENT EVENTS
Last month, PEO EIS participated in the annual AFCEA Belvoir Industry Days (ABID), Nov. 17-19. The three-day event was held virtually for the first time, featuring briefs from many Army and DOD leaders, and 34 speakers from PEO EIS supporting 14 sessions.

Here are the highlights:

• Deputy Program Executive Officer Mr. Brendan Burke provided a keynote address, which was streamed live from the PEO EIS headquarters conference room on Zoom.
   
• Mr. Dan Joyce moderated the Business Mission Area panel that featured Col. Robert Wolfe, project manager (PM) Army Data and Analytic Platforms (ARDAP); Col. Donald Burton, PM Defense Integrated Business Systems (DIBS); and Col. Robert Williams, PM Integrated Personnel and Pay System – Army (IPPS-A).

• Mr. John Howell moderated the Networks, Cyber and Services panel with Mr. Aric Sherwood, acting PM Defense Communications and Army Transmission Systems (DCATS); Col. Mark Taylor, PM Defensive Cyber Operations (DCO); and Mr. Lee James, project director Enterprise Services (ES).
   
• Breakout sessions focused on acquisition excellence, and an additional fireside chat focused on Army enterprise cloud management with Mr. Paul Puckett,

Our goals were to increase awareness of how the Army is accelerating strategic readiness efforts, explore ways to engage small business and improve our acquisition processes, and gather industry feedback to make decisions to positively impact Soldiers in their missions. AFCEA Belvoir, which sponsored the event, reported nearly 1,000 online registrations, with a 70 percent “tune-in” rate for live sessions, and we had positive feedback from many of you on the quality of the content with helpful comments on how we can improve.  

If you were unable to attend any of the panels or presentations, all briefing slides are available on our website’s Publications page. You can also check out our Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Flickr pages for links, photos and procurement information.

ORGANIZATIONAL UPDATES
In September, I shared with you some updates impacting our organizational structure, including standing up the PM ARDAP, renaming PM GFEBS to PM DIBS, and introducing Army Vantage and Global Force Information Management (GFIM) as a two newly chartered programs under the ARDAP portfolio.  

ARMY VANTAGE
Last month, we stood up the Army Vantage program in a virtual ceremony, officially welcoming Miranda Coleman as the chartered product lead. Army Vantage is a data analytics platform designed to integrate data from new and legacy systems in any form and at any scale.

Army Vantage enables the Army to “see itself” by providing senior leaders, Soldiers, staff and analytic communities with a common, integrated data platform to visualize and analyze the current and predicted future state(s) of the Army.

Miranda spoke at the AUSA conference in October, and Army Vantage was covered by multiple media outlets, amplifying this vital tool that is already helping Army leaders by providing a common data environment for managing and using all Army data. The tool provides 360 degree visibility into Army cornerstones — including our most valuable asset, our people — and has helped in the military’s fast-paced battle against COVID-19.

GLOBAL FORCE INFORMATION MANAGEMENT (GFIM)
In November, we also introduced Mr. JT Craft as the product lead for GFIM. This program will automate the Army’s core Deploy to Redeploy/Retrograde (D2RR) business processes, revolutionizing the way data is created and transmitted to people who man, equip, train, resource and ready our force.

 Providing Army leaders with the data they need to make informed decisions is critical to Army readiness and drives us every day. As part of the Army Data Strategy principles, we are working to ensure our data is Visible, Accessible, Understandable, Trusted, Interoperable and Secure.

JT is our #PEOEISTeammateTuesday this first week of December. You can read his interview here.  

DEBBIE LEE RETIREMENT
On Dec. 17, we will say a fond farewell to a PEO EIS institutional leader, as Debbie Lee retires after more than 35 years of Army Civilian service.

Debbie started at PEO EIS, then PEO STAMIS, in the early 1980s, rising to one of the most important positions in the organization — human resources director. Our Chief of Staff Matt Russell said it best: No other civilian has had such an enduring impact on our most important asset … People.

Debbie, thank you for your years of dedicated service in caring for our teammates. We wish you all the best in your retirement.

MESSAGE TO INDUSTRY
Industry engagements are vital in connecting us with potential partners, but we also invite you to review the mission landing pages on this site for program opportunities. In just the last couple of months, we have had more than 150 industry queries. Our team has worked hard to connect you with the right Army leaders so that together, we can deliver capabilities to Soldiers.

In the new calendar year ahead, we ask for you to help us to do what’s right for the Army. One of our goals is to leverage industry best practices, but we must adapt to Army processes. You can also help us by being flexible to the environment — let us know if you believe we are going down the wrong road, but also help us to be both agile and innovative in our approach.

Among our commitments to you are transparency and access to information. We invite you to explore the industry page, where we provide quarterly updates of upcoming procurement opportunities, and you can subscribe for updates. And as of December 1, we have a brand new procurement forecast available for you!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS
“Like it or not, we live in interesting times. They are times of danger and uncertainty; but they are also the most creative of any time in the history of mankind.” Words spoken by Robert F. Kennedy in 1966 that resonate today. I truly believe that while interesting times test our resolve, they also reveal our character and our spirit.

I hope the year ahead is kind to you and your loved ones. If you choose to gather this holiday season, please do so as safely as possible. Happy holidays to you all, and may God bless our Troops. We look forward to seeing you in 2021.  

Connecting the Army. Working for Soldiers.

Ross Guckert, PEO EIS