CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE
USD(A&S) Sets Up Joint Task Force
The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (OUSD(A&S)) announced establishment of a new Joint Acquisition Task Force to address the supply and logistics challenges of the COVID-19 coronavirus crisis. The text of the OUSD(A&S) announcement follows:
On March 25, 2020, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Ms. Ellen Lord established the
COVID-19 Joint Acquisition Task Force (JATF). Led by the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Acquisition Enablers, Ms. Stacy Cummings, the JATF team includes acquisition professionals from the Military Departments and DoD Agencies, and is synchronizing and supporting the acquisition execution of DoD’s COVID-19 response to the interagency (Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)) for medical resources.
The JATF aligns with the broader DoD COVID-19 task force, and through it serves as the single-entry point to the DoD acquisition enterprise to address the interagency’s requests for acquisition assistance. The JATF leverages DoD authorities, tools, and skillsets to assist in meeting the Nation’s demand signal as defined by DoD and the interagency.
The main goals of the JATF include:
- Coordinating and consolidating supply information for medical resources from the Services and DoD Agencies to quickly respond to demand from the interagency.
- Utilizing a supply chain capability to use data to forecast gaps and identify opportunities for the industrial base to provide medical resources.
- Prioritize solutions from industry to connect viable suppliers to the interagency, including prioritization of efforts appropriate for the use of the Defense Production Act.
The JATF will take advantage of already established DoD forums to coordinate and prioritize execution of authorities, connect supply with demand, and communicate across DoD and with industry.
The resources available for DoD to leverage in response to the needs generated by COVID-19 are:
- The Defense Production Act Title III which provides the President broad authority to ensure the timely availability of essential domestic industrial resources to support national defense and homeland security requirements through the use of highly tailored economic incentives;
- Utilizing the DoD Adaptive Acquisition Framework and the skilled and experienced acquisition workforce to provide advice or exercise rapid contracting mechanisms, such as Other Transaction Authority (OTA), to quickly award contracts to deliver products and supplies;
- Research and development capabilities to leverage non-traditional manufacturing capabilities (e.g. additive manufacturing) to produce new items; and
- Organic industrial capabilities at DoD labs and depots to meet demand.
The JATF will build and execute a collaborative framework for driving DoD innovation and streamlining solutions from concept to delivery to meet the rapid demand for medical resources supporting the interagency’s national response.
The JATF is a temporary body and will stand down at the conclusion of the COVID-19 national emergency. This fact sheet will be updated as appropriate.
April 9, 2020
To download a PDF copy of this fact sheet,
click here.
