Air Force teams win acquisition awards

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WASHINGTON (AFPN) --  Two Air Force teams received the 2003 David Packard Excellence in Acquisition Award during a ceremony June 4 at Fort Belvoir, Va.

The Air Force winners of the Department of Defense’s most prestigious team award for acquisition excellence are the Joint Direct Attack Munition’s joint program office and the Passive Attack Weapon Program’s quick-reaction capability team.

The Packard Award recognizes teams and organizations demonstrating exemplary innovation and best acquisition, technology or logistics practices. It also rewards those achieving acquisition excellence and life-cycle cost reduction, according to Michael W. Wynne, principle deputy undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics at the Pentagon.

Led by the Air Force and partnered with the Navy, the joint JDAM office was selected for the award because of its efforts accelerating JDAM production and delivery to the warfighter supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

The JDAMs cost less than half of the projected price and are being delivered to the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps more than twice as fast as planned. The weapon has operationally proven to be more accurate, reliable and effective than envisioned.

The PAW Program’s team was selected for its ability to deliver 200 unique new weapons for deployment within 180 days.

Actual delivery of the weapon to warfighters including all logistical support elements, a targeting tool, integrating F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft and completion of successful operational testing was done in less than 100 days.

The Packard Award honors the late David Packard, a former deputy secretary of defense during the Nixon administration. He was also the co-founder and chairman of the Hewlett-Packard Co., and chairman of the President's Blue Ribbon Commission on Defense Management chartered by President Reagan in 1985. Packard was a strong advocate of excellence in defense-acquisition practices.