Defense Acquisition University#Defense Acquisition Guide

{{Short description|US Department of Defense corporate university}}

{{Infobox university

| name = Defense Acquisition University

| image = File:DAU Seal.png

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| established = {{Start date|1991|10|22}}

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| budget = $220 million

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| president = Bilyana Anderson

| vice-president = Frank L. Kelley

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| city = Fort Belvoir, Virginia

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| parent = US Federal Government, Department of Defense

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| accreditation = COE, IAECT, ACE

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The Defense Acquisition University (DAU) is a corporate university of the United States Department of Defense offering "acquisition, technology, and logistics" (AT&L) training to military and Federal civilian staff and Federal contractors.{{Cite web |url=http://www.dau.mil/aboutDAU/Shared%20Documents/ANNUAL_REPORT.pdf |title=DAU Annual Report |access-date=2010-07-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728000525/http://www.dau.mil/aboutDAU/Shared%20Documents/ANNUAL_REPORT.pdf |archive-date=2011-07-28 |url-status=dead }} DAU is headquartered in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, and is accredited by the American Council on Education (ACE), International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) and the Council on Occupational Education (COE).{{Cite web |url=http://www.dau.mil/publications/ATLdocs/2013%20ANNUAL_REPORT.pdf |title=DAU Accredited |access-date=2015-10-02 |archive-date=2017-01-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170112164146/http://www.dau.mil/publications/ATLdocs/2013%20ANNUAL_REPORT.pdf |url-status=dead }}

History

The University Charter was created in October 1991 by Department of Defense (DoD) Directive 5000.57. Originally a loose consortium of existing training commands, DAU worked to standardize the training courses and establish mechanisms that allowed for centralized management of training funds for the DoD workforce.

In the late 1990s, the consortium arrangement was replaced by a centralized structure, more like that of a corporate university. By 2014, DAU had grown to the point of graduating 181,970 students.{{Cite web |url=http://www.dau.mil/publications/ATLdocs/Annual_report.pdf |title=2014 Annual Report |access-date=2015-10-04 |archive-date=2016-12-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161223112748/http://www.dau.mil/publications/ATLdocs/Annual_report.pdf |url-status=dead }}

=Leadership=

DAU was headed by a Commandant until the year 2000 when it became a civilian institution, and since then the chief executive position has the title "President." DAU's Commandants and Presidents have included William L. Vincent (1991–1993), Claude M. Bolton (1993–1996), Richard A. Black (1996–1997), Leonard Vincent (1997–1999), Frank J. Anderson (1999–2010), Katrina McFarland (2011–2012), James P. Woolsey (2013–2024), and Bilyana Anderson (2024–Present).

Locations

Image:Defense Acquisition University, Fort Belvoir.jpg on the base of Fort Belvoir near Washington, DC]]

DAU is headquartered at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, and serves the approximately 160,000 members of the defense acquisition workforce. DAU also has several other locations across the United States as well an online presence. These locations include:{{cite web |title=Organization Chart |url=https://www.dau.edu/about/Documents/Org%20Chart%20%28Internet%20Version%29.pdf |website=Defense Acquisition University |access-date=20 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220626182656/https://www.dau.edu/about/Documents/Org%20Chart%20(Internet%20Version).pdf |archive-date=26 June 2022 |date=15 October 2021}}

DAU Capital and Northeast, located at Fort Belvoir, provides services to The Pentagon and Washington DC Department of Defense agencies, and acquisition and sustainment organizations throughout the Northeast. It serves a workforce of about 35,000 people.{{cite web |title=Capital & Northeast Region (Fort Belvoir, VA ) |url=https://www.dau.edu/locations/capital-northeast |website=Defense Acquisition University |access-date=20 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928044836/https://www.dau.edu/locations/capital-northeast |archive-date=28 September 2020}}
Defense Systems Management College, also located at Ft Belvoir, on the same campus as the Capital and Northeast Region{{cite web |title=Defense Systems Management College (DSMC) |url=https://www.dau.edu/locations/dsmc |website=Defense Acquisition University |access-date=20 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016214205/https://www.dau.edu/locations/dsmc |archive-date=16 October 2021}}
DAU Mid-Atlantic, located in California, Maryland, (near the Patuxent River Naval Air Station){{cite web |title=Mid-Atlantic Region (Patuxent River, MD) |url=https://www.dau.edu/Locations/Mid-Atlantic |website=Defense Acquisition University |access-date=20 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200810020848/https://www.dau.edu/Locations/Mid-Atlantic |archive-date=10 August 2020}}
DAU South, in Huntsville, Alabama, on Redstone Arsenal, serving 41,000+ members{{cite web |title=South Region (Huntsville, AL) |url=https://www.dau.edu/locations/south |website=Defense Acquisition University |access-date=20 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210923115530/https://www.dau.edu/locations/south |archive-date=23 September 2021}}
DAU Midwest, located in Kettering, Ohio, (just outside Wright-Patterson Air Force Base), serving 25,000+ members{{cite web |title=Midwest Region (Kettering, OH) |url=https://www.dau.edu/Locations/Midwest |website=Defense Acquisition University |access-date=20 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210923125505/https://www.dau.edu/Locations/Midwest |archive-date=23 September 2021}}
DAU West in San Diego, serving 30,013 people (as of 2021){{cite web |title=West Region (San Diego, CA) |url=https://www.dau.edu/locations/west |website=Defense Acquisition University |access-date=20 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026032014/https://www.dau.edu/locations/west |archive-date=26 October 2021}}
Various satellite locations at major military commands

Admissions and costs

Applicants must have a current affiliation with the United States government in order to attend training courses offered by DAU. The United States Military Services and the DoD have internal registration and quotas for DAU instructor-led courses, while the Federal Acquisition Institute (FAI) accepts applications and registers most non-DoD students.

U.S. Federal employees and defense contractors may attend DAU courses at no cost when space is available, and may enroll in DAU's Defense acquisition credential learning pathways, and in online courses. DAU charges tuition only to certain foreign students.{{Cite web |url=http://www.dau.mil/faq/pages/Eligibility.aspx |title=Eligibility and costs |access-date=2015-10-03 |archive-date=2017-01-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170101013422/http://www.dau.mil/faq/pages/Eligibility.aspx |url-status=dead }}

Training and certificates

The Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) requires Defense Acquisition Workforce members to be certified for the positions they hold. DAU offers training courses for all Defense Acquisition Workforce members in seven functional areas and at three certification levels.10 U.S. Code Chapter 87 - DEFENSE ACQUISITION WORKFORCE

Functional Areas:

Auditing
Business:
Financial Management
Cost Estimating
Contracting
Engineering and Technical Management
Life Cycle Logistics
Program Management
Test and Evaluation

The American Council on Education (ACE) assigns ACE credits to various DAU courses. DAU coursework can apply toward college and university degrees and certificates at some partner institutions.[http://www.dau.mil/aboutDAU/Pages/partnerships.aspx DAU website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100611230822/http://www.dau.mil/aboutDAU/Pages/partnerships.aspx |date=2010-06-11 }}.

=Defense Acquisition Guide=

The Defense Acquisition Guidebook (DAG) is a text developed to aid in the understanding and implementation of United States Department of Defense Acquisition practices under the DoD Directive 5000 series. This text, also available in web-accessed electronic format and web-structured HTML basis (see https://aaf.dau.edu/guidebooks/) provides insight to a life cycle view and functional roles within the lifecycle of acquisitions.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=onMEUQiB6HkC&q=Defense+Acquisition+Guide&pg=PP17|title=DSMC Has Hot Topics for Everyone in Defense Acquisition!|date=1992|publisher=Publications Department, Research and Information Division, Defense Systems Management College|language=en}}

In 2002, the DOD 5000.2-R became the Interim Defense Acquisition Guidebook.{{cite book| title = Defense Acquisition Reform, 1960–2009 An Elusive Goal| publisher = CENTER OF MILITARY HISTORY, UNITED STATES ARMY| author = J. Ronald Fox| year = 2011| isbn = 978-1780397887| url = http://www.history.army.mil/html/books/051/51-3-1/CMH_Pub_51-3-1.pdf| access-date = 17 December 2013| archive-date = 29 October 2020| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201029050654/https://history.army.mil/html/books/051/51-3-1/CMH_Pub_51-3-1.pdf| url-status = dead}}

Mission assistance

DAU instructors are available to consult and assist acquisition organizations in the design and review of processes and internal training when they are not teaching. They can also provide workshops and specific topic instruction in areas of interest or concern tailored to a specific organization.

Hacking incident

In July 2011, a hacking incident occurred affecting DAU's Web-based training site. This incident occurred on a vendor's network that provided the learning management system's underlying source code{{cite magazine | url=https://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/07/booz/ | title='Military Meltdown Monday' — 90K Military Usernames, Hashes Released | first= Peter| last= Bright | magazine=Wired | publisher=www.wired.com | date=2011-07-12| access-date=2013-10-13}} and inhibited access to online courses for almost two months. While DAU was not hacked, U.S. Cyber Command (U.S. CYBERCOM) evaluated the risk level to DAU's system based on the incident that occurred on the vendor's network, and temporarily suspended online training courses to secure the system and protect students' personal information.