WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio – Eight mid-level military and civilian acquisition professionals from across the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center and Space and Missile Systems Center, were recently selected for the prestigious Advanced Tactical Acquisition Corps program.
Designed to groom the next generation of Air Force acquisition leaders, members of the ATAC program are charged with finding solutions to significant challenges facing the Air Force.
Beginning Feb. 12 and over the course of three months, ATAC Team 4, will collect data and develop actionable recommendations for senior leadership approval, on the long-term supportability of the Air Force’s aging aircraft.
“With the Air Force keeping aircraft in the inventory longer than originally anticipated, assuring effective and efficient sustainment support of our systems is becoming very challenging,” said Lt. Col. Peter Sandness, ATAC program director and deputy director for the Acquisition Excellence and Program Execution Directorate. “Among the aging aircraft challenges is meeting new cyber resiliency requirements, corrosion structural fatigue cracking detection and repair, increasing depot maintenance tasks that decrease depot flow rates and maintaining qualified vendors for obsolete parts.”
During the program, ATAC members will have the opportunity to meet with and gain insight from senior Department of Defense, Air Force, government and industry leaders.
The team will work in a collaborative learning environment and will have a rigorous academic curriculum with coursework at the Defense Acquisition University, Georgetown University’s Government Affairs Institute, the Air Force Institute of Technology and the University of Tennessee.
In previous years, ATAC teams visited and took classes at world renowned organizations like the MIT Lincoln Laboratories, Harvard University, the Central Intelligence Agency, Stanford University, the University of California, Berkeley, Amazon, Apple and Google.
Sandness said that it’s important for the acquisition workforce to be creative and courageous leaders and followers who are not afraid to challenge the status quo and take risks to solve tough problems.
“ATAC continues to be an influential training and education program because it pushes each team member out of their comfort zones to elevate their character, competence and credibility,” said Sandness. “In turn, I think we should expect to gain better program team performance while managing risk and uncertainty to produce war-winning capabilities.”
The following individuals are members of ATAC Team 4:
Justin Kyne, Mobility Directorate
Capt. Michael Meoli, Air Force Security Assistance and Cooperation Directorate
Lisa Myers, Air Force Security Assistance and Cooperation Directorate
1st Lt. Claire Krokker, Fighters and Bombers Directorate
Zach Thompson, Fighters and Bombers Directorate
Capt. Michael Rubanka, Tanker Directorate
Jennifer Schmitt, Tanker Directorate
Capt. Gilbert Rayhill, Space and Missile Systems Center