Filling the Expertise GapFilling the Expertise Gap

LtCol Brad SmithLtCol Brad SmithDeputy Director, AAC/ENDeputy Director, AAC/EN

Air Armament CenterAir Armament CenterEngineering and Acquisition Excellence DirectorateEngineering and Acquisition Excellence Directorate

I n t e g r i t yI n t e g r i t y -- S e r v i c eS e r v i c e -- E x c e l l e n c eE x c e l l e n c e

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• Who are we?

• What are the challenges?

• What are we doing?

Briefing OutlineBriefing Outline

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Who We AreWho We Are• Eglin AFB -- Nation’s Center of Excellence for Air

Armament– Develops, acquires, tests, fields, and sustains the Air Force’s

munitions inventory– Becoming a key joint training location, supporting joint training,

testing and experimentation– A major provider of expeditionary combat support

• AAC/EN -- The Air Force’s Center of Technical, Logisticsand Program-Management Expertise– Develops and advances over 900 people and $48B in policies,

processes and tools to deliver precision-strike capabilities to thewarfighter.

– Serves as the Acquisition Center of Excellence for the AAC, creatinginnovative strategies to rapidly field weapons to the warfighter.

Weapons to Warfighters…as promised!Weapons to Warfighters…as promised!Approved for public release; distribution unlimitedApproved for public release; distribution unlimited

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Air Armament CenterAir Armament Center

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What are the challenges?What are the challenges?

• Fewer program start-ups

• Employment downsizing

• Increasingly older workforce

• Declining graduate school enrollment

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•Decline in number of new program starts•Historically, infusion of weapon newstarts (ACAT I) occurs every 3 years

–Now focusing on incremental improvements–Fewer new starts, but weapons systemscomplexity continues to increase

•Reduced opportunity for workers todevelop breadth by working acrossdifferent programs and phases

What are the challenges?What are the challenges?

7

0

200

400

600

800

1000

95 96 97 98 99 '00 '01 '02

814 777 733705 690 669 658 655

#of

Civ

ilian

s (in

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s)

DoD Civilian End Strength

• 19.5% workforce reduction• Fewer organic manpower slots in our program offices

What are the challenges?What are the challenges?

8

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

'95 '96 '97 '98 '99 '00 '01 '02

http://www.cpms.osd.mil/dlamp/education/conf2003/raney.ppthttp://www.cpms.osd.mil/dlamp/education/conf2003/raney.ppt

DoD Civilian Workforce

What are the challenges?What are the challenges?C

ivili

ans (

in p

erce

nt)

Admin

Other

Professional

Blue CollarClerical

• As civilian workforce shrinks, number of employees in professionalcareer fields have remained constant

• Not seeing an increase in technical/professional workforce•AAC has come to rely heavily on A&AS contractors to meetincreasing technical demand

9

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

95 96 97 98 99 '00 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05

AF Civilian End Strength

• Workforce strength “flat” for last 7 years• Hiring and retaining skilled civilian workers have not changed

significantly

164 161 151 144 140 140 140 141157 138 144

What are the challenges?What are the challenges?#

of C

ivili

ans (

in th

ousa

nds)

10

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

95 96 97 98 99 '00 '01 '02

Avg

age

(yea

rs)

44.0 44.4 44.9 45.4 45.5 46.0 46.2 46.3

• Phenomena driven by baby boom population• Currently 48.2% of US work is 40+ years old; will increase to

51.4% in 2010• DoD workforce shows same aging trend

Age of DoD Civilian Workforce

What are the challenges?What are the challenges?

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21.5 23.2 25.7 28.5 31.9

34.5 36.4 37.9

Retirement Eligibility of DoD Civilian Workforce

• Retiring baby boomers make up about 1/3 of US workforce• Estimated 40% DoD employees currently eligible to retire;

increases to 60% in next 3 to 5 years• Not enough younger workers to replace retiring workers

What are the challenges?What are the challenges?

0

10

20

30

40

50

95 96 97 98 99 '00 '01 '02

Perc

ent e

ligib

le to

retir

e

12

0

10

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30

40

50

7.1 5.9 7.4

19.6 19.3

NowNext 5

15.3

Civ

ilian

s (in

per

cent

)

6-1011-1516-20>25

15.7

21-25

Years

Retirement Eligibility of AF Civilian Workforce (2005)

9.7% not eligible9.7% not eligible

• Technical workforce make up the majority of retirement eligible• Translates into severe workforce shortage of skilled, educated and

experienced workers• Affects IT, Science & Technology, and Engineering careers

What are the challenges?What are the challenges?

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Career Tenure of AF Civilian Workforce (2005)

• Must focus attention on junior workforce to balance retirement-eligible workforce

• Need to identify and accelerate organization-specific training toimprove capabilities of junior workforce

• Requires intervention to groom junior workforce to fill vacatingleadership positions

What are the challenges?What are the challenges?

0

10

20

30

40

50

24

12 11

17 17

>2521-25

19

Civ

ilian

s (in

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16-2011-156-100-5

Years

}

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Education of AF Civilian Workforce (2005)

What are the challenges?What are the challenges?

PhDMA/MSBA/BSSome CollegeAA/AS

HS orLess

0

10

20

30

40

50

26

40

20

12

1Civ

ilian

s (in

per

cent

)

Degrees• Majority of workforce does not possess an advanced degree• Increased technical complexity of systems creates additional

demand for advanced degrees

15

0

2

46

8

1012

141618

Degrees by Acq Career

PhD6.2%

MA/MS46.4%

BA/BS47.4%

PMLogSPRDET&EContractingOther

Education of AF Civilian Workforce (2005)

What are the challenges?What are the challenges?C

ivili

ans (

in p

erce

nt)

• S&E career fields – government positions often considered lessattractive that many commercial technical positions

• Significant time and financial commitment of earning an S&Egraduate degree compared to other professional degrees

• Complexity of systems creates increased demand

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Our SolutionOur Solution

• Recruiting new talent– PALACE ACQUIRE Program– Local University/Education Programs– NSPS

• Educating & Preserving Knowledge– System Engineering Certification– Air Armament Academy– Acquisition Excellence Organization

To capture knowledge, wisdom, and experience by:

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Recruiting• Uses Air Force PALACE ACQUIRE program to

maintain a leading edge in today’s technology-intensive recruiting environment– Offers 2-3 year training programs for college graduates– Tuition reimbursement for graduate school– Frequently leads to full time employment

• AAC has acquired 64 of the 873 Air Force Interns• AAC also has a very active college recruiting

program to attract new talent to the center

Our SolutionOur Solution

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EducationEducation

University of Florida (satellite campus)• Supports graduate engineering education and research

needs• Academic programs lead to Master of Science and PhD

degrees in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical/ComputerEngineering, and Industrial/Systems Engineering

• Allows cross flow of students into AAC– Education for AAC workforce– Students support research & technology development

• Also offer a number of other university degree programs onbase to encourage education

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National Security Personnel SystemNational Security Personnel System

• AAC closely examining proposed NSPS system• Improved Hiring Flexibility

– Provisions for direct hiring authority of criticalneeds and severe shortages

– Speed up hiring process

• Performance Management– Ties job performance to new pay band system– Intended to attract, develop retain and reward

high performing employees

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AAC’s SolutionAAC’s Solution

Systems Engineering Certification• Senior leaders communicated support throughout

enterprise• Program develops and trains engineers and

scientists to implement systems engineering withrigor within their individual programs/projects

• Closely aligned with new OSD & Air Forceinitiatives to enhance DoD system engineeringprocesses

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AAC’s SolutionAAC’s Solution

A3 – Air Armament Academy• Transformed AAC into a learning organization• Captures and shares collective learning assets (the

“know-how” and the “know-why”)• Designated training days integrates learning as a

part of everyone’s daily activities• Everyone in the center is involved in teaching,

learning and supporting continuing education

22A3 Curriculum Board Members

PresidentMG Chedister

Vice PresidentAAC/CV

A3 Project ManagerAAC/DP

DepartmentsCE CG MD MS

CPTS CONS MEOAAC Staff (IG EEO PA

DP SE HO XP)

College of InstallSustainment &Management

Dean–Col ClemonsAssociate DeanAir Base Wing

College POC

College ofScience

& Technology

Dean–Dr PletcherAssociate Dean

ARL/MN

College POC

DepartmentsMNA MNOMNG MNKMNM MNF

College ofCollege ofTest &Test &

EvaluationEvaluationDean–Mr ArnoldAssociate Dean

Test Wing

College POC

DepartmentsDT SKMX TSXP OGOT (53rd WG)

DepartmentsAir-to-Air WgAir-to-Ground WgCombat Supt GpXR EN FM PK AE

College ofCollege ofAcquisitionAcquisition

Dean–Ms StokleyAssociate Dean

AAC/EN

College POCActing: A3

AA33 StructureStructure

A3 ProvostAAC/DP

DeanDean –– AAC/CAAAC/CA DeanDean –– Test WingTest Wing DeanDean –– AAC/CAAAC/CA DeanDean –– ABWABW

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Acquisition ExcellenceAcquisition Excellence• New division within AAC Engineering

Directorate• Acquisition Center of Excellence

– Repository for lessons learned– Center for acquisition policy & strategy– Assist in all phases of acquisition

• Program Management Division– Home office for Program Managers– Central role in Program Management career

development and career broadening• Better manage rotation of Program Managers to ensure

we are developing people with the right experience• Manage training, education and experience to assure

proper development for future leaders

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Challenge SummaryChallenge Summary

• Our senior expertise is moving towards retirement(both organic and contractor support)– Strong need to replace retiring workers– Must train, educate & mentor new workforce– Challenge due to reduced pool of S&E recruits

• AAC/EN has designed initiatives to captureknowledge, wisdom, and experience fordeveloping future workforce

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Questions?Questions?

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Who Are We?Who Are We?

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JASSMJASSM