As many of you are no doubt aware, I am a strong believer in interdisciplinary integration across not only defense acquisition workforce functional communities, but across the system life cycle and the broader logistics domain as well. Indeed  I have repeatedly written on the subject over the last several years, including  Defense AT&L Magazine articles on

·         10 Things Great Program Managers Know About Product Support

·         Teamed for Success: The Imperative for Aligning Systems Engineering and Life Cycle Logistics

·         Supportability as an Affordability Enabler: A Critical Fourth Element of Acquisition Success Across the System Life Cycle

·         The Defense Life-Cycle Logistics Journey A 10-Year Retrospective of Product Support Transformation

Indeed there are many in our community who embrace this important interdisciplinary focus, including a series of recent life cycle logistics career field functional leaders and Life Cycle Logistics Functional IPT members who are just as committed to getting us out of our functional silos in order to successfully deliver optimized affordable readiness to our warfighter customers. Hence the fact we have an extraordinarily integrated Life Cycle Logistics Core Plus Development Guide to provide you a wide-range of interdisciplinary opportunities to complete your continuous learning requirements.

In addition, the Life Cycle Logistics DAWIA certification training requirements include four mandatory interdisciplinary courses (ACQ 101 and SYS 101 at Level I and ACQ 201A [soon to be redesignated as ACQ 202] and ACQ 201B [soon to be redesignated as ACQ 203] at Level II) and one interdisciplinary continuous learning module (CLC 011 at Level II). Moreover, the “choose one of” “so-called "pick list” options at both Level II and Level III also afford life cycle logistics workforce members outstanding opportunities to either expand their knowledge, understanding, and ability to apply key life cycle logistics and shared interdisciplinary competencies.  These include:

Level II choose one of five distance learning course options:

·         EVM 102 Earned Value Management OR

·         RQM 110 Core Concepts for Requirements Management OR

·         CON 121 Contract Planning, AND CON 124 Contract Execution, AND CON 127 Contract Management OR

·         LOG 204 Configuration Management OR

·         LOG 215 Technical Data Management (available in FY15)

Level III Choose one of four classroom course options:

·         LOG 211 Supportability Analysis OR

·         BCF 215 Operating & Support Cost Analysis OR

·         ACQ 265 Services Acquisition OR

·         ACQ 315 Understanding Industry (Business Acumen)

Regardless of whether you are a DoD life cycle logistician, other defense acquisition workforce members, other DoD logistician, industry counterpart, or even a federal government logistician from another agency, I'd encourage you to check these options out – not only for those of you who are actively pursuing your Level II or Level III DAWIA certification, but also for those of you looking for addition professional development opportunities….or looking to stay current….or are seeking to meet your 80 hours of continuous learning requirements…or are looking to become a better qualified, more well-rounded, and more effective defense acquisition workforce professional.