Wednesday May 15, 2013
What is it?
The U.S. Army Materiel Command established the Depot and Arsenal Executive Leadership Program (DAELP) in 2003 to better prepare command teams for the unique challenges of leading an industrial base facility.
Administered by the Institute for Defense and Business, and delivered in partnership with the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, DAELP is an executive leadership program serving the commanders and senior civilian leaders of the nation’s depots and arsenals. DAELP is custom-tailored to meet the specific needs of the Defense Industrial Base Management.
What has the Army done?
Now in its 10th year of existence, DAELP has grown in scope and stature, cultivating more than 200 participants across every branch of the Department of Defense, the Defense Logistics Agency and the private sector. DAELP integrates leadership development and management concepts through a curriculum of residencies and distance learning. Students participate in traditional classroom teaching, on-line learning, business study tours and corporate residencies.
Broken into five phases, the course spans nearly a year. Between phases, participants return to their duty stations and participate in an on-line Lean Six Sigma Champion Certification program, provided by North Carolina State University (NCSU). At the end of the program, participants are awarded graduation certificates from UNC-Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School; a Lean Six Sigma for Executive Champions graduation certificate from NCSU; and several Continuing Education Units and Professional Development Hours toward professional acquisition and engineering development and career learning.
Participants leave the course with better business acumen and better understanding of how work at depots and arsenals affects the bigger Army.
What continued efforts does the Army have planned for the future?
Program administrators tailor the curriculum each year to meet the needs of the incoming cohort and strive to keep the course relevant and customized to the needs of the participants and the industrial base. Program administrators are considering creating different tracks or electives within DAELP for logistics and the supply chain, acquisition, ammunition, and other specialties to further tailor the program for participants.
Why is this important to the Army?
DAELP is a commander’s course prerequisite for AMC and the Marine Corps Logistics Command; government-owned, government-operated depot and arsenal commanders are automatically slated to attend. Other organizations can request seats each year, focused at the O-6 or civilian-equivalent level. Commanders can nominate key civilian staff who provide continuity at depots and arsenals to attend. No cohort is larger than 30 students.
Resources
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