REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. (May 27, 2015) -- The U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center hosted an inaugural technical exchange meeting to address shared challenges and review solutions within the software engineering community.
Leaders of the Army's software engineering centers gathered at the AMRDEC Software Engineering Directorate, as well as via video teleconference, for the meeting held May 20 and 21.
"AMRDEC volunteered to host the first meeting in Huntsville to initiate this coalition and foster strategic discussions among the Army software centers' leadership," said Systems Simulation, Software and Integration Director, Bill Colson.
"The intent is to rotate the meeting among the Army's centers allowing the leadership from the various locations the opportunity to better understand each center's capabilities. We believe this will foster collaboration, better leveraging each center to benefit the Army overall."
The forum created an environment for software engineering directors and their deputies to discuss matters such as human capital strategy, cybersecurity, and partnership opportunities.
David Castellano, acting director of the U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center, shared his outlook on the difficulties of human capital within the government realm.
"The need for software engineers is outpacing the United States ability to generate professionals in the field," Castellano said. "Because of this demand, we run the risk of outsourcing business to foreign partnerships. It is key that we keep this in mind as a joint community and figure out how to build an enduring capability to meet our challenges."
Developing a healthy balance of in-house government civilians and out-of-house contracting support and foreign partnerships is one of several areas the leadership team recognized as needing improvement.
"The future of our Army technologies will become increasingly dependent on software," Colson added. "This brings unique challenges with complex systems integration of software and hardware in our future advanced weapon systems. The AMRDEC SED and all of the Army's software centers will continue to be a critical enabler in ensuring we develop, acquire, and sustain our Army's software dependent technologies in the future."
In addition to AMRDEC and ARDEC, the two-day event included software-centric subordinate commands of the U.S. Army Material Command including the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center, the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command, and the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center.
"This initial meeting of the software center leadership was a definite success," said Colson. "We identified multiple areas of opportunity to build on that potentially will lead to improved efficiencies and enhance the effectiveness of all of our mission areas. We are looking forward to the next opportunity to meet."
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The Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center is part of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, which has the mission to develop technology and engineering solutions for America's Soldiers.
RDECOM is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Materiel Command. AMC is the Army's premier provider of materiel readiness -- technology, acquisition support, materiel development, logistics power projection, and sustainment -- to the total force, across the spectrum of joint military operations. If a Soldier shoots it, drives it, flies it, wears it, eats it or communicates with it, AMC provides it.
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