PEO Perspective: September 2023

It’s hard to believe we are already headed into fall and a new fiscal year. I am amazed by all that PEO EIS and the Army have accomplished this summer, with still more on the horizon for a busy fall season.

RECENT EVENTS AND ENGAGEMENTS

AFCEA TECHNET AUGUSTA

One of the highlights of August was seeing Army and industry colleagues in person again at AFCEA TechNet Augusta a few weeks ago. This year, leaders from PEO EIS participated in PM panels and breakout sessions, and it was my honor to participate in a Joint PEO panel with my colleagues.

TechNet is always a great opportunity for us to meet with colleagues and industry and to share capabilities. This year, I am proud to announce that we held 58 meetings with industry partners as part of my commitment to meeting with industry and gaining valuable insights to help us bring cutting-edge technologies, solutions and capabilities to Soldiers. We also spoke to multiple media outlets, resulting in unprecedented coverage of PEO EIS programs and our future focus.

SAFe SUMMIT

A contingent of leaders from PEO EIS attended the SAFe Summit in Nashville, Tennessee, from Aug. 15-18.

PEO EIS Agilists from Integrated Personnel and Pay System-Army, Logistics Modernization Program, Defense Integrated Business Systems, Army Training Information System and Acquisition Innovation Directorate  learned how enterprises use the Scaled Agile Framework to stay resilient amidst a rapidly changing world by practicing Agile methods and cultivating strong organizational cultures.

They also had the opportunity to speak with SAFe experts, coaches and thought leaders to learn, share best practices and expand their network.

ACWS GOES LIVE!

After many years in the making, Army Contract Writing System launched July 28 to 104 contracting personnel at 29 locations, including Army Contracting Command-Joint Base Lewis-McChord and offices across the Army National Guard. These users will provide feedback on the system prior to the next release.

This marks the beginning of a new era of Army contract writing. Future rollout to an additional 350 users from ACC and ARNG is planned for the first quarter of fiscal year 2024. I’m proud of the ACWS team for this accomplishment. As ASA(ALT) Principal Deputy Mr. Young Bang recently posted, “Congratulations to the ACWS team for getting this back on track and deployed!!” We are excited to continue to deliver more capabilities and functions in future iterations.

EBS-C PROTOTYPE AWARDS

On Aug. 15, the recently stood up Enterprise Business Systems – Convergence (EBS-C) project management office, in coordination with the Army Contracting Command-Rock Island, entered into Other Transaction Authority agreements with three vendors that were selected to develop software prototypes that converge multiple Army business systems into one, known as EBS-C. These agreements are the first step in developing prototypes to modernize the Army’s finance and logistics systems, making it easier for Soldiers and civilians to manage the Army’s daily business.

Learn more about EBS-C, a modernized EBS suite centered around a common business operational environment that is as “commercial-as-possible and military-as-necessary”, here!

ArmyIgnitED HITS MAJOR ACQUISITION MILESTONE

ArmyIgnitED achieved another key milestone in July with the release of functionality for Army civilians. With the latest capability release, the Army’s voluntary education and training portal is now available to all user groups — Soldiers, cadets and civilians.  

This is an important milestone in our delivery of the Army’s enterprise voluntary education portal. As of Aug. 9, ArmyIgnitED is serving nearly 253,000 users – and we’re not stopping there.

You can read more about ArmyIgnitED’s achievements so far in a recent blog on our website.

And there’s more good news to come -- so stay tuned for next month’s Perspective.   

UPCOMING EVENTS AND ENGAGEMENTS

AUSA 2023 Annual Meeting & Exposition

We are looking forward to again participating in the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual conference, scheduled for Oct. 9-11 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. For more information about PEO EIS participation, please visit our Events page. 

FMS-ACES INDUSTRY DAY

On Sept. 7, the Foreign Military Sales-Army Case Execution System product office will host an Industry Day at Fort Belvoir.

The FMS-ACES program is seeking industry partners to develop the necessary software system prototyping of commercially available software solutions to meet the capability needs of FMS-ACES as outlined in the solicitation and its enclosures, posted in a draft statement on SAM.gov.

Details about the agenda, speakers and more are posted on our website’s Events page, with a link to the registration site.

FMS-ACES will modernize the Army’s FMS case implementation, execution and closure system, currently known as the Centralized Integrated System for International Logistics.

We’re taking FMS-ACES to the cloud in an audit ready, cyber-compliant environment to support government clients at the speed of relevance. The solution will improve data quality and visibility and integrate disparate Army and DOD systems.

When complete, FMS-ACES will be the first PEO EIS program to utilize the DoDI 5000.87 Software Acquisition Pathway from the initiation of the program.

Thank you to product lead Kelly Rutherford – recently featured in a #PEOEISTeammateTuesday on our social media channels – and her team for their hard work on this important Army modernization goal.

SEPTEMBER OBSERVANCES:

Patriot Day

Sept. 11, 2023, marks the 22nd anniversary of the terrorist attacks on American soil resulting in the loss of more than 3,000 lives. We remember the stories of bravery that brought us together as a nation, and we will never forget those who lost their lives. As an Army and as a nation, we remain vigilant, agile and ready to meet any future challenge.

Suicide Prevention Month

The Army is committed to preventing suicide among Soldiers, civilians, family members, retirees and our community. Seeking help is a sign of strength, not of weakness. We encourage all those who are struggling to reach out to their command team, leaders, teammates and family members. Look out for one another and check on your teammates.  

National Hispanic Heritage Month

Celebrated from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, this observance pays tribute to the generations of Hispanic Americans who have positively influenced and enriched our nation and society.

Today, more than 139,000 Hispanic Americans serve in the Total Force. Hispanic Soldiers are the fastest growing segment of the Army and now make up 18% of the force. The Army recognizes not only the significance of individual contributions but also the value of diversity and an inclusive environment during National Hispanic Heritage Month.

As it is also National Preparedness Month, I want to remind you and your families to please be safe and vigilant, and make a plan for preparedness.

Thank you for all you do to support Soldiers, our Army and our nation.

Ross R. Guckert, Program Executive Officer, PEO EIS

Connecting the Army. Working for Soldiers.