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Members of the Department of the Air Force Acquisition Instructor Course Class 24B recently put their newly-acquired skills to the test, conducting multiple “sprints” in support of air, space and cyber operational needs.
“The Acquisition Instructor Course, or AQIC, is modeled after the U.S. Air Force Weapons School. Similar to how USAFWS Squadrons execute training mission alongside operational units during their syllabus, we want our AQIC students to learn by working directly with our operators and acquisition professionals,” said Lt. Col. Michael Sherman, Commander, AFMC Detachment 2 – Acquisition Instructor Course.
A sprint, commonly used as a technique in Agile Project Management, is a dedicated, focused work period with a defined end-product or goal to be achieved at the end of the short cycle. Sprints typically leverage cross-functional teams to achieve specific objectives, often expediting solutions to problems or issues related to work.
“Upon graduation, we expect our graduates to be strategic integrators, problem solvers and advisors across portfolios. These sprints enabled our members to execute as they are expected once they receive the AQIC graduate patch, impacting programs across the Air and Space portfolio,” said Sherman.
During a visit to Peterson Space Force Base, Colo., AQIC students and cadre worked with Space Delta 3 staff to address the transition of the Bounty Hunter Program from the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center to the U.S. Space Force. Bounty Hunter, which achieved full operational capability in March 2020, is a ground-based, deployable, tactical space Electronic Warfare System with the ability to monitor, detect, characterize and geolocate friendly and unfriendly electro-magnetic interference across multiple radio frequency bands. The program directly supports Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence leveraged by U.S. Joint Forces.
During the sprint, students, Delta 3 members and AFLCMC program office representatives matured the key elements necessary to ensure a seamless transfer of programmatic responsibility. This included agreements for intelligence support and the transition of contract oversight responsibility.
In another effort, AQIC students worked with the Space Systems Command Next Generation Program Office at Los Angeles AFB to enhance the unity of effort between operations and development for more rapid and streamlined capability delivery. The students shared alternatives for how both the program office and operators could leverage existing resources to address the disconnects.
The AQIC cohort also worked with the AFLCMC Platform One office at Lackland AFB to devise a solution to address a contract manpower issue. The students proposed a rapid contract modification to secure the specialized manpower, which was subsequently considered as a course of action by the Platform One leadership team.
“These sprints with diverse operational units gave our students the opportunity to address problems that straddle acquisition and operational responsibility – much like they will do in real work situations,” said Sherman. “Our goal in AQIC is to ‘bridge the gap’ between acquisitions and operations; practical activities that impact current operations help meet that curriculum need.”
The Acquisition Instructor Course is a competitive, five-and-and-one-half month course based at Wright-Patterson AFB, open to both Air Force and Space Force Acquisition officers and civilians. Students are trained to become skilled acquisition instructors and leaders, with the tactical and strategic knowledge necessary to meet the operational needs of the multi‐domain battlespace. Through coursework, site visits and practical application, students graduate with the skills and knowledge to work directly with operators to ensure fielded platforms and programs meet current and future battlespace needs.
Learn more about AQIC at https://www.afmc.af.mil/Careers/AQIC/. Applications open each year in October and May. Courses begin in January and July, annually.
| Date Taken: | 01.30.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 01.30.2025 12:53 |
| Story ID: | 489823 |
| Location: | WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, OHIO, US |
| Web Views: | 14 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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