Weapon Systems 2012. America's Army: the Strength of the Nation

In the Army Acquisition community, it is our solemn responsibility to enable Soldiers to dominate the battlespace safely and securely by achieving the first look, first strike advantage with unprecedented speed, accuracy, and lethality.
Soldiers are our most important customers. They are the focus of all our plans and are central to all that we accomplish. We are a workforce that is dedicated to meeting the needs of Soldiers around the clock and around the world. We are an organization comprised of 10 Program Executive Offices, two Joint Program Executive Offices, eight Deputy Assistant Secretaries, one Deputy for Acquisition and Systems Management, and several major subordinate commands of the U.S. Army Materiel Command.
The Army Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology community joins with our key stakeholders to develop and field a versatile and affordable mix of weapon systems and equipment to allow Soldiers and units to succeed in full-spectrum operations and maintain our decisive advantage over any enemy we face. We make Soldiers strong by providing them with leading-edge technologies and advanced capabilities to dominate in our current operations across the battlespace, while simultaneously preparing them to respond decisively to future threats.
In providing our Soldiers with world-class capabilities, we remain aware that our most important asset is our people. Our skilled and dedicated professionals execute diverse responsibilities on a daily basis to enable the disciplined management of an extensive acquisition portfolio of programs that include tactical wheeled vehicles; Soldier systems; air and missile defense; network; simulation; aviation; ground combat systems; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; and precision fires. These responsibilities include science and technology as well as research and development, program management, contracting, systems engineering, procurement policy, logistics policy, chemical weapons destruction and demilitarization, defense exports and international cooperation, and other areas.
As we move forward, I will continue to emphasize sound business practices, program management, and effective execution of major weapons systems while we help the Army to prioritize capabilities and modify existing programs to achieve long-term success. With this in mind, I think all of you realize the future resource environment will be challenging. We can expect that budgets are going to be tighter, which means we have to become a lot more efficient in the way we do business.
Every day America’s Soldiers put mission, unit, and country first. They serve with distinction in nearly 135 countries worldwide: Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, Kuwait, the Sinai, South Korea, the Philippines, and on every continent. They face threats that constantly evolve, and their skill and courage in meeting these challenges is second to none. As you read this publication and learn more about the Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology community and our major acquisition programs, you will understand that our highest priority is to continually improve force protection and Soldier survivability. Soldiers are our most important customers. We will not let them down.
Heidi Shyu
Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army.