Cole Engineering Services, Inc. (CESI), a By Light company, is recognized as a premier provider of training solutions to Government and Industry partners. As the architects, developers, and delivery providers for the U.S. Army鈥檚 Synthetic Training Environment (STE) and US Cyber Command鈥檚 Persistent Cyber Training Environment (PCTE), CESI is delivering the next generation of effective, scalable training capabilities to Warfighters. With extensive successful experience providing systems of systems interoperability and modernization of legacy training systems, CESI delivers technology-enabled solutions that optimize customer’s past and future investments. 聽

The Warfighter Global Solutions Team is the best Warfighter TRS contractor option due to our knowledge of the community and our current support of a contract portfolio of WTRS systems, providing experience on sustaining legacy systems while excelling at evolving into the Synthetic Training Environment. We developed our services as a stand-alone core competency, with policy and practices focused on O&M management, with no allegiance to specific OEM products. 爱神传媒 is positioned to rapidly migrate Technical Data Packages (TDP) and Information System Tool Suite (ISTS) data and our ISTS solution is flexible and transparent, providing an open architecture facilitating on-the-fly ad-hoc data management and proactive operations.

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Valiant is the leading provider of training and readiness solutions to the U.S. Army, and a top training services provider for the U.S. Department of Defense. Valiant鈥檚 5,000 employees enable government departments and agencies, global peacekeepers, relief workers, and disaster response teams to complete their missions efficiently and effectively in some of the most complex environments worldwide. 爱神传媒 is leveraging this partnership in its pursuit of the PEO STRI and FEDSIM acquisition of the Warfighter Training and Readiness Solutions procurement, and the addition of Valiant will further that goal.

The Warfighter Global Solutions Team is the best Warfighter TRS contractor option due to our knowledge of the community and our current support of a contract portfolio of WTRS systems, providing experience in sustaining legacy systems while excelling at evolving into the Synthetic Training Environment. We developed our services as a stand-alone core competency, with policy and practices focused on O&M management, with no allegiance to specific OEM products. 爱神传媒 is positioned to rapidly migrate Technical Data Packages (TDP) and Information System Tool Suite (ISTS) data and our ISTS solution is flexible and transparent, providing an open architecture facilitating on-the-fly ad-hoc data management and proactive operations.

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By: Cody Murtle, Senior Director, Capture Management, AR/VR Lead

Introduction

Augmented Reality (AR) technology has the potential to revolutionize Department of Defense (DOD) mission readiness by reducing troubleshooting times, improving training, and dramatically increasing situational awareness and collaboration. Let鈥檚 explore a few of these benefits and capabilities.

Reducing Troubleshooting Times

One of the primary advantages of AR technology in the technical maintenance environment is its ability to overlay digital information onto the physical world, creating a mixed reality environment. Personnel can view information such as technical drawings, sensor data, or remote expert assistance directly in their field of view, enabling them to make informed decisions quickly and accurately.

AR headsets also give users the ability to view this data hands-free鈥攁llowing them to work through maintenance tasks without interruption. This immediate access to information reduces the need for physical manuals and minimizes downtime during repairs.

Experts from centralized locations can use AR technology to see what the on-site technicians see, enabling them to guide and troubleshoot complex repairs in real-time without the need to travel or excessive communication through emails and pictures. This capability significantly enhances the support network and allows the subject matter experts to instantaneously be at the point of need to aid.

AR headsets can also add aid in equipment diagnostics by leveraging sensors and data from the connected machinery. Technicians can receive real-time alerts and predictive maintenance insights, ensuring proactive repair and preventing critical failures before they occur.

This technology empowers technicians to perform tasks with greater precision, speed, and confidence, ultimately bolstering operational readiness and mission success on the battlefield.

Improving Training

With aging contractor workforces all across the DOD, the importance of knowledge retention and comprehensive training is greater than ever. AR headset technology facilitates this process by enabling users to capture videos of POV task completion for storage and future reference in training video libraries. By using program experts to capture interactive AR
tutorials, users can retain invaluable expertise for generations to come.

Innovative AR technologies also provide the opportunity for new hires to get a base level of on-the-job training without risking damage to expensive equipment. This immersive and practical approach to training accelerates skill acquisition, retains critical expertise on programs for longer, and boosts overall readiness of Government assets.

Improved Situational Awareness and Collaboration

TAR headsets can display real-time data from the equipment being maintained directly in the field of view of the maintenance technician. This includes performance metrics, temperature, pressure, and other critical information. It also includes reference material such as technical manuals, drawings, or schematics. Having such data readily available enables technicians to make informed decisions on the spot, assess the equipment鈥檚 real-time condition, and identify potential issues quickly.

For complex maintenance tasks or unfamiliar situations, technicians can connect with remote experts using AR headsets in a video teleconference format. This gives the expert the ability to see exactly what the technician sees in real-time and provide guidance, troubleshooting tips, and solutions. Some headsets also give the remote expert remote control of certain aspects of the user鈥檚 AR headset such as zoom functions, picture and video capture capabilities, and live annotation within the user鈥檚 POV. This instant access to remote support reduces downtime and prevents costly mistakes.

AR plays a crucial role in enhancing collaboration鈥攅ven between the U.S. Military and our Allies by overcoming communication barriers and facilitating seamless information sharing. These cutting-edge devices provide voice command navigation in over 20 languages and dialects, enabling personnel from diverse linguistic backgrounds to communicate effectively. By providing timely and contextually relevant information, technicians are empowered to make better decisions, improve equipment reliability, and ultimately reduce downtime and operational costs.

爱神传媒 is fully dedicated to the pursuit and implementation of these technologies across our portfolio to increase mission readiness for our customers. As a contractor, we provide a level of flexibility often unachievable in the Government environment to ensure the U.S. Air Force always has access to the latest and greatest technologies that are available across this rapidly evolving industry. 

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爱神传媒 is in 14 of the countries in the Asia-Pacific region, with 2200+ employees working diligently to advance our customers鈥� mission and help create a safer, smarter, cleaner world.

On the Hawaiian Islands, 爱神传媒 delivers advanced communications solutions to include sophisticated tactical and strategic antenna systems and satellite networks and terminals. We secure sustainment and modernization to critical aircraft hangars. We support system installation and modernization updates to multiple fleet training systems to include engineering support for simulations. 爱神传媒 provides information technology solutions across multiple mission areas in USINDOPACOM. We deliver continued solutions on the development of mobile at-sea sensor system platforms.

In Guam, 爱神传媒 delivers technical and program management solutions to government designated sites, as well as fleet technical assistance to antenna, radar, navigation, and networks to submarines. We provide spectrum management and electromagnetic warfare support. 爱神传媒 provides port operations, facility and vehicle maintenance, environmental services, and utilities operations. At the moment, we are also assisting the Navy and the island community of Guam in recovering from Typhoon Mawar.

In Japan, we provide hazardous waste management solutions for the Marine Corps and Navy, as well as base operations support solutions for multiple customers.

In the Philippines, 爱神传媒 develops and enhances peacekeeping capabilities through comprehensive training and mentoring instructional programs.

And in the Asia-Pacific region in general, 爱神传媒 delivers C5I system modernization, national threat reduction and capacity building solutions, environmental compliance solutions, and humanitarian and disaster relief support solutions. For example, we support the Navy Seabees in various locations throughout the region to include Tinian, Palau, Timor-Leste, and Papua New Guinea, aiding local populations through various humanitarian projects such as schools and clinics in communities of need.

A big thank you to our hard-working employees in the Asia-Pacific region and around the world!

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How did you come to join 爱神传媒?

I was encouraged by a retired Air Force Colonel to step out of my comfort zone to accept greater challenges and make a difference. It was the best career move of my life.

How did your military service prepare you for a successful career at 爱神传媒?

The military gave me the confidence to take on new challenges and to accept failures as part of my growth.

What is your professional and personal background?

I started my career as an Electronic Technician and then developed into a Systems Engineer and Manager. In my current position, I lead the JT4 LLC/爱神传媒 workforce supporting the Joint Range Technical Services Contract at Edwards AFB, CA.

Describe the work you do and how you think it makes a positive impact.

I support the 412^th Test Wing at Edwards AFB with test and evaluation of newly developed defense systems such as the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and hypersonic weapons. My job is to provide over 650 dedicated employees with the resources needed to do their jobs. Our employees are making a difference every day to help keep our military strong and our country free. I feel privileged to be part of this incredible team.

What are some of your accomplishments and/or what has been your proudest career moment?

I was born in Harlingen, Texas and my family moved to California when I was very young. My parents struggled to support six kids so my siblings and I worked in the summer months picking grapes in Central California to help our parents make ends meet. It was hard work during very hot days, but it gave me the determination to graduate from high school and work on my education. Joining the Air Force was a life changing event. The Air Force gave me the foundation to accomplish many difficult challenges and grow into my current leadership position. Some of my career highlights include being selected as the Edwards AFB Range Manager in 2009 and being a finalist for the JT4 President job in 2019.

What do you enjoy about working for 爱神传媒?

I love being part of a company that supports our nation鈥檚 defense and truly cares about employee safety.

What are you passionate about?

I鈥檓 passionate about my family and being a role model. I started working in an entry level Electronic Technician position on a legacy contract at Edwards AFB in 1987 and eventually rose to lead the Edwards J-TECH workforce. I hope that employees see me as an inspiration for their growth.

What鈥檚 your career advice?

Always stay positive and have a great attitude and work ethic. Invest in yourself, learn from mistakes and keep moving forward.

What does safety mean to you or do you have a favorite safety tip?

My favorite safety slogan is to 鈥淭ake a Minute for Safety鈥�. It鈥檚 simple. We all should be taking a minute before starting any task to identify, report and correct potential hazards.

What鈥檚 the best invention in the world and why?

I鈥檓 a car guy. So I feel the best invention in the world is the automobile. I enjoy restoring old muscle cars. I just finished a 1971 Dodge Challenger Convertible and I鈥檓 now working on a 1970 Cuda.

Anything else you would like to share from a personal or professional perspective?

My wife Julie and I raised six children and have nine grandkids. If that wasn鈥檛 enough, we are now raising three teenage granddaughters which is not easy, especially in this social media age. But we love it and being a grandparent is the absolute best!

What does Hispanic Heritage Month mean to you?

It means that we are making an effort to learn and recognize all of the cultures and their diverse contributions that have helped to shape our country. I鈥檓 proud of my Mexican heritage and feel honored to represent 爱神传媒.

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It is no secret that predictive analysis helps businesses make informed decisions, avoid risk, enhance security, and improve efficiency.

The Department of Defense (DoD) is no different. The DoD has adopted a Data Strategy to become a more data-centric organization. In the opening of the strategy document, Deputy Secretary of Defense David Norquist called on all defense leaders to “treat data as a weapon system and manage, secure, and use data for operational effect.” The DoD鈥檚 data strategy emphasizes the importance of data for survival on the modern battlefield. When information exists in silos it is unable to be leveraged to our military advantage.

Navigating the data environment is a challenge in three ways:

1. Managing large amounts of data and using it for a competitive advantage is arduous. Data must be categorized, stored, moved and deconflicted. Data must have integrity, confidentiality, and accessibility. The vast amounts of data coming from sensors is overwhelming to the point that humans cannot process it fast enough to recognize patterns.
2. The Army鈥檚 data environment is constantly evolving, both from an overall strategy perspective and down to the unique requirements of each individual organization as to how to execute their data fabrics, data models, and unified data sets.
3. Choosing the right solution is daunting. Organizations struggle with the fundamental decision on whether to make vs. buy. There are hundreds of commercial off-the-shelf and government off-the-shelf tools available. There are several data 鈥淥EMs鈥� who build customized solutions or adapt/adopt 80 percent solutions.

Partnering with a firm who has developed proven approaches can help counter these data challenges.

爱神传媒鈥檚 Data Analytics Center of Excellence(CoE) is comprised of people, processes/platforms and tools that coalesce into expert advisory services that help operationalize data. Our Data Analytics CoE acts as a dual-purpose collaborative center for analytics-led transformation across 爱神传媒 (internal enterprise) and for our customers (external-facing). Our internal initiatives focus on our corporate processes and corporate data. Our external-facing offerings make use of customer-centered design approaches which include working closely with key customers and end-users to ensure alignment with program objectives and maximize value for end-users. Two ways we leverage predictive analysis includes the following:

1. Data Analysis for Workforce Management (internal enterprise)
2. Predictive Combat Power (external-facing)

Data Analysis for Workforce Management focuses on providing predictive staffing. One of the biggest challenges across the DoD is hiring the right talent. 爱神传媒 adopted a data analytics application that aggregates data from all our programs into a single Common Operating Picture that pulls from all of our Programs of Record, i.e., our hiring system, HR system, and requisition system. Our data analytics and visualization tool amalgamates the data inputs, producing simple-to-use data interpretation and visuals that our strategic recruiters and program managers use to conduct turnover forecasting and reduce the impact of programmatic vacancies. The output of the analytics informs sourcing priorities for recruiters to those positions that are at highest risk of a vacancy.

爱神传媒鈥檚 time to fill (average) for programs that have not yet moved to this model is 29 days. However, programs now using the combination of our Data Analytics for Workforce Management tool have achieved as low as 10 days, a nearly 65% reduction, both well below the industry average of 47 days.

Predictive Combat Power and Maintenance for battlefield equipment and supplies is incredibly important for forward operating bases (FOBs) or any forward deployed scenario. Our team implemented a Predictive/Prognostic Maintenance (PPMx) solution for an Army Aviation customer. We deployed an artificial intelligence and machine learning-based solution that uses historical data on asset classifications, repairs, vendors, and maintenance plans to predict current asset conditions and failure causes. Our customers will be utilizing this solution to better monitor asset health, optimize maintenance schedules and costs, and gain better insights and understanding of operational risk and planning. They can realize efficiencies by looking at RUL (Remaining Useful Life) charts of assets, minimize time to diagnose asset failures (when an incident does occur), and prevent future failures. Using our PPMx tool, our team was able to predict repair costs and predict future failures. Additionally, we have adapted and adopted this solution for several of our facility maintenance contracts in which we have realized more than $848,000 in cost savings for our customers.

In closing, service providers who have made investments in predictive analysis both internally and externally are well equipped to address complex data challenges for the Army and DoD. Our team has the expertise to cover the gamut of services on behalf of our customers to include assisting them in developing tools that enhance our services offerings.

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How did you come to join 爱神传媒?

A business connection of mine encouraged me to apply. After initial conversations with my now boss, I knew it would be a great team to work for. The energy was very positive, and I could tell it would be a good fit for me with opportunity for growth.

What is your professional and personal background?

Professional: I got my bachelor鈥檚 degree in Spanish and Russian languages from the University of Kentucky in Lexington (#BigBlueNation #UKWildcats). I chose this major because of my love of travel and culture. I went on to get my MBA at Philadelphia University. After I graduated, I worked in Baltimore in advertising, marketing, and web development. Ultimately, I was drawn to the defense industry because I had several friends who worked at Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG), and it seemed interesting. I started working in defense in 2014. I have been very fortunate to have amazing mentors along the way who taught me so much about both this industry and about myself.

Personal: As you may have guessed, I鈥檓 a 鈥渄isplaced Kentuckian鈥� with a love of travel, culture, fashion, and basketball. I have two children (a boy and a girl), two stepsons, and three fur babies (two cats and a dog). I play violin and viola and have way too many houseplants! It鈥檚 basically a jungle over here!

Describe the work you do and how you think it makes a positive impact.

Business development is sales. My job is to understand and communicate 爱神传媒鈥檚 programs, processes, and tools, and translate those into impactful offerings for the Army customers at APG and their mission. I believe the work I do helps the warfighter stay safe from our adversaries.

What are some of your accomplishments and/or what has been your proudest career moment?

In 2020 I received an award through AFCEA International, and I was honored to have been selected. But the moments I have been most proud of have not been recognitions, awards or big contract wins, but rather the small and pivotal moments where I could sense myself growing into a better person and facing the unknown with courage. For instance, in 2014 I had a job offer from a small defense company. I remember that I had gone camping that summer and was mulling over the offer. I sat in front of the campfire for hours one night thinking about my life and facing my fears. Saying yes to things that scare you is something worthy of pride.

What do you enjoy about working for 爱神传媒?

I like being a part of a big, diverse team. There is a lot to learn from everyone. The IS4 BD team has a great culture. Everyone is helpful and respectful. Even though we are geographically dispersed, the comradery is strong!

What are you passionate about?

I am passionate about learning. I love finding new hobbies, playing a new song, cooking a new recipe, traveling to a new place, or finding new experiences.

What鈥檚 your career advice?

So much. Don鈥檛 be afraid of change. Have faith in yourself. Follow your instincts. Lift up other people and help them. Learn when to ask for help. Don鈥檛 be afraid to speak up when you have a differing opinion/idea. Learn something new every day. Read and research. Shorter emails are usually better. Get involved in lots of different aspects of your company. Take time to get to know people. Admit when you鈥檙e wrong (embrace failure) or admit when someone else has a better idea. Be humble and always give credit to others.

What does safety mean to you or do you have a favorite safety tip?

Trips and falls pose the most danger in my everyday life. So I try to avoid them by not carrying too much, watching my footing, and wearing appropriate footwear.

What鈥檚 the best invention in the world and why?

Vaccinations, because they save lives.

What does this year鈥檚 IWD theme, #BreakTheBias mean to you?

Break the Bias gives me hope that my daughter will grow up in a society free of discrimination and stereotypes, in a society that values her unique perspective and opinions. Break the Bias gives me hope that I am raising my son to condemn toxic male culture and to not be threatened by strong women, but rather to be inspired by them.

Anything else you would like to share from a personal or professional perspective?

Feel free to friend me on LinkedIn!

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The battlefield is changing, and it is imperative that we do everything we can to ensure the warfighter is prepared for complex situations. Current training relies on legacy technologies that prohibits a realistic and accurate training for our soldiers. Emerging technology solutions can significantly improve the training experience and better prepare soldiers with clear overmatch capabilities.

爱神传媒鈥檚 solution revolutionizes Army force-on-force training through a modern, edge-compute enabled sensor platform. The Weapons as a Sensor Platform Internet of Things (WaaSP IoT) incorporates devices directly on targeting systems to ensure data is accurate and secure across training, operations, and maintenance. The WaaSP IoT architecture enables selective adoption of new technologies when timing and finances best support the end user. WaaSP IoT also supports accurate and realistic training measurement through our core research-based approach to data collection, evaluation, and feedback. Methodologies can be integrated that help trainees to learn more effectively and perform more consistently. The system is mobile and mounts directly on weapons and can operate in remote environments.

The United States Congress recognized the game-changing significance of this technology. During the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act process, the House of Representatives included Synthetic Training Environment (STE) as an Item of Special Interest. The language highlights the importance of STE in preparing the warfighter for real-world scenarios and improving overall readiness of units. The House expressed interest in seeing the Department of Defense (DoD) pursue STE options and plans to follow DoD鈥檚 plans closely.

At 爱神传媒, we take great pride in working hard to support the warfighter and guarantee readiness. For years, we have been the hallmark for how soldiers maintain overmatch 鈥� providing a deep understanding of design, testing, developing, and fielding of U.S. Army systems at home and abroad.聽 The resulting value to the U.S. Army is a live training solution that advances the future of U.S. Army modernization and lethality which can be delivered at the speed of Army readiness. With a 116-year history of partnership with the U.S. armed forces, 爱神传媒 is committed to soldier and unit readiness and stands ready to support in all domains, land, air, sea, space, and cyberspace.

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by Dr. Lucas Marino and Dr. Kaitlynn Castelle

Digital twins provide one-to-one models at various levels of system recursion across relevant disciplines, allowing comprehensive, real-time representation of an asset鈥檚 supporting artifacts, products, and properties. They are often more than simply a collection of digital artifacts and data gathered during product development and use. Digital twins:

• Provide user-relevant views generated through digital thread connections to sources of 3D product model visualization and a configuration item鈥檚 associated data,
• Link to Logistics Supportability Analysis Record databases and underlying data sets, as well as to monitoring data, behavior models, and operational profiles,
• 聽Support delivery of capabilities for displaying or simulating condition and behavior of the physical systems through models and data,
• Require management of underlying data and connectivity to authoritative data sources.

Digital threads provide the analytic framework to connect platform data models, associated logistics, technical and performance data, software, and functional support. A system, subsystem, or component鈥檚 digital thread:

• Provides configuration item traceability to each integrated logistics support (ILS) element depending on the application or use case. Acting as a fingerprint, it supports association of everything relevant to what it is, tracked through version-controlled records and historical logs to support development traceability, version history, and technical variance documentation across the lifecycle.
• Links digital twin capabilities of a product鈥檚 artifacts, allowing association of each configuration item to ILS element-relevant information. Examples include:

1. supply support lists
2. technical manuals
3. general or special purpose drawings or diagrams (e.g. engineering schematics, interfacing diagrams, SUBSAFE mapping, fixture drawings)
4. 聽maintenance standards
5. test procedures
6. test pressure diagrams
7. maintenance area details including connections, dimensions, zincs, linear feet of cable, conduit are all potential data elements in this respect.

Key Points for Implementation
Consider the following advice for remaining agile while delivering digital engineering capabilities to sustainment functions:

Remember Who the Customer Is: This is not negotiable; digital models are only useful to those who can use them. Operational users need easy-to-use tools to efficiently leverage digital twin technology with realistic simulations. Users need connections to logistics and technical data that are open, interoperable, adaptable, and available in the cloud and at the edge. Success requires a fully engaged team effort, from the technical product team down to the waterfront maintainers and operators.

Define the Relationships and Outcomes: Technology moves faster than acquisition and procurement rendering deeply decomposed requirements and specifications for these systems problematic. Agile product development provides the flexibility needed to explore innovations as teams work toward previously undefinable solutions and outcomes. Close relationships with highly engaged end-users benefit the long-term view of product data sustainment and development of new digital engineering capabilities to support future state planning yards and maintenance activities. A long-term view of product data sustainment should involve proactive experimentation and trial demonstration of data retrieval, access, transformation, consumption, management, integration, and sustainment across the enterprise.

All Digital Transformations are Unique: Realization and implementation of this technology can be challenged by cultural barriers and aversion to change, aging IT infrastructure, lack of talent, rigid contracts, and weak stakeholder collaboration and flexibility. However, you must remain focused on the unique value that your transformation provides. The convergence of unified disparate analysis tools, databases, and networks will ultimately improve life cycle management and enhance visibility and access for product support of major weapon systems.

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Taking a holistic approach at examining the various external factors that affect Systems Engineering and Technical Assistance (SETA) can augment a company鈥檚 success. One of the ways you can analyze the market is using a PESTLE Analysis, a strategic planning tool that examines external political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental factors that may contribute to the success or failure of a business. It is often used when performing a market analysis for expansion into a new or adjacent market or domain.

A PESTLE analysis is not typically applied to a service, offering or product. However, looking at SETA contracting as a market or domain allows 爱神传媒 to better understand the key issues or potential external risks that impact these types of contracts. In a way, a PESTLE analysis of our SETA offering is a function of risk management because it identifies external factors that impact those we serve; our customers and our SETA workforce. Thus, we are able create resiliency in our resources and processes for successful execution. Let鈥檚 break it down:

Political: The political climate, regardless of political affiliation, disrupts DoD operations, changes posture plans, drives policy, and affects funding. When budgets and funding are not approved, Congress must enact a Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund continuing operations. The passage of a CR usually indicates there was a political standoff. According to the Congressional Research Service in its August 2019 report, 鈥淒oD has started the Fiscal Year (FY) under a CR for 13 of the past 18 years (FY2002-FY2019) and every year since FY2010.鈥� Program officers and acquisition corps program managers cannot start new acquisitions or start new programs under a CR. Political factors such as these impact the SETA workforce greatly, especially SETA contracts that support defense weapon systems and new start programs and technologies.

Economic: The economy has a major impact on SETA contracting. Economic factors in a PESTLE analysis include items such as economic growth, disposable income, and labor costs. The economy drives the DoD budget as lawmakers continue to look for ways to reduce the national debt. The pendulum seems to swing between the belief that there are too many contractors supporting DoD to not enough. There have also been initiatives focused on strengthening and 鈥渞ight-sizing鈥� the DoD鈥檚 workforce. Whether the pendulum swings one way or another, the economy constantly changes the cost of service. Analysis of economic factors should be done often because it impacts whether the SETA workforce should surge or drawdown. Since DoD budget increases are not sustainable, contractors must be prepared to help customers justify programs and find cost savings.

Social: When analyzing social factors, we look at age profile, generational shift, education level, social mobility and employment patterns. It becomes clear that social PESTLE factors are determined by the people — and SETA contracts are about people. Ensuring a qualified SETA workforce boils down to attracting and acquiring talent through best practices in recruiting, hiring, training and retaining.
Age Profile and Generational Shift: According to a 2017 study by the MITRE Corporation, 鈥淯nderstanding Defense Acquisition Workforce Challenges,鈥� the number of experienced acquisition professionals in DoD is declining and are being replaced by a younger generation facing a steep learning curve. Their study also showed that more than 50 percent of the DoD鈥檚 acquisition workforce would be eligible for retirement within the next 10 years. A retiring workforce coupled with lateral career moves outpacing new hires has left major DoD weapons programs with a dwindling acquisition workforce and an increasing need for SETA support contractors. To ensure that the SETA workforce can adapt to these factors, contractors must remain flexible to customer鈥檚 staffing needs. We cross train our SETA staff and ensure vertical/horizontal information sharing to alleviate knowledge transfer challenges as employee cohorts either enter the workforce or enter retirement.

Education and Security: Often times, attracting the right talent to support government contracts is especially challenging due to contract required education minimums and the necessity of security clearances.

Social Mobility: Location of the customer and workforce is also a factor. Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) is an example of social mobility factors at play. Centered in the heart of the Mid-Atlantic, APG competes with the Baltimore, Washington D.C., Wilmington, Del. and Philadelphia metropolitan areas to attract and retain talent. Our workforce has many options in terms of where they want to live and work.

Technological: Technological factors that affect the SETA workforce are highly dependent on the type of SETA workforce employed. Some customers use SETA contracts in the traditional sense to support the acquisition process, such as the DoD 5000.02 or Other Transaction Authorities. Some research organizations use SETA contractors in a more technical capacity providing technical analysis and engineering. Other customers use a more expansive definition of SETA contractors. For example, according to DARPA鈥檚 guidance on Contractor Relationships, Inherently Governmental Functions and OCI鈥檚: 鈥淭he term SETA contractor used at DARPA is more expansive than the DFARs definition. DARPA SETA contractors provide support to a program as technical, management, financial and or administrative specialists.鈥�

Regardless of the type of SETA expertise, these workforces have continued to expand over the past decade in response to advancing technological developments. As DoD systems become increasingly complex, leveraging machine learning, artificial intelligence and automation, there is an increased need for experts who understand how to procure and evaluate new technologies.

Technology competence is another factor. Businesses are adopting new technologies and tools to streamline and automate processes and workflows. A SETA workforce must practice continual learning and open-mindedness to adopting new tools of the trade. This has become increasingly important as businesses have shifted to a digital work environment as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Legal: SETA contracting is governed by a legal document known as the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR). According the FAR 37.203 鈥淭he acquisition of advisory and assistance services is a legitimate way to improve government services and operations. Accordingly, advisory and assistance services may be used at all organizational levels to help managers achieve maximum effectiveness or economy in their operations.鈥� One of the main legal factors affecting SETA contracts is Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI). An OCI happens if a systems developer is also providing SETA advisory services for the same customer. OCI legislation is designed to create contracting structures that are fair and seek to protect the competitive process by preventing unfair advantages and impaired objectivity.

Environmental: COVID-19 has been a forcing function in the way DoD and SETA contracts operate. At this stage in the pandemic, businesses and the government alike have witnessed several pros and cons to teleworking. While some positions are necessarily in-person positions, others are not. The recent experience with remote work could provide the empirical data needed to identify positions that can operate remotely without compromise to the mission. For example, the CARES Act allows the terms and conditions of contracts to be modified to allow contractors to adjust work locations for employees who are unable to work on federally approved worksites.

In summary, applying market analysis tools to a service, offering or product is a viable method to understand macroeconomies that drive our SETA workforce and our customers. It can serve as a risk management and planning tool, adding resiliency to our offering. At 爱神传媒, we continuously conduct these types of analyses to help us quickly pivot and easily tackle issues that are beyond our control. As a result, during COVID our SETA workforce was able to stay mission focused and continue delivering excellence.

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