Need for Rapid Acquisition Programs in the Army to Face an Adaptive Enemy

<p>The purpose of this paper is to explore the necessity of having and maintaining a form of rapid acquisition capability within the Army. Future challenges envisioned by President Bush are presented to the United States military forces by an adaptive enemy during operations in support of the current Global War on Terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Rapid Equipping Force (REF) and the Rapid Fielding Initiative (RFI) are two recent Army initiatives developed to bridge capability gaps outside the traditional acquisition cycle in order to successfully combat an adaptive enemy in wartime. Supported through large amounts of temporary GWOT supplemental verses planned funding as part of the Army's Program Objective Memorandum REF and RFI provide necessary equipment to operational commanders during the Army's largest equipment fielding effort since World War II. Both organizations reside outside the normal traditional acquisition infrastructure of the Army but are complimentary in mission scope and nature. These lessons learned from REF and RFI success demonstrate at a minimum the need to maintain and incorporate a system of rapid acquisition within the current Army acquisition process and the Army Force Generation in order to provide the best possible wartime support to tactical and operational commanders.</p><p>This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore you will see the original copyright references library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world) and other notations in the work.</p><p>This work is in the public domain in the United States of America and possibly other nations. Within the United States you may freely copy and distribute this work as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.</p><p>As a reproduction of a historical artifact this work may contain missing or blurred pages poor pictures errant marks etc. Scholars believe and we concur that this work is important enough to be preserved reproduced and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.</p>