DAU and U.S. Marine Corps sign memorandum of agreement for contingency contract training.

On Aug. 1, 2006, the Defense Acquisition University and the U.S. Marine Corps established a new program of instruction to deliver contingency contract training to Marines. Tim Shannon, dean of DAU's Capital and Northeast Region, and Mike Mutty, the Marine Corps acting deputy assistant commandant for installations and logistics (contracting), signed the five-year Memorandum of Agreement, marking a clear shift to mission-focused training that supports Marines in worldwide contingencies such as Afghanistan and Iraq.

For the past few decades, Marine officers attended the Naval Postgraduate School's 18-month master's degree program. The master's degree provided a suitable education base for acquisition professionals working on major weapon system programs. Under the new agreement, Marines will complete a five-month program of instruction focusing on contracting on the battlefield. This practitioner-based training will develop the practical skills that the Marine Corps' leadership desires for contingency contracting officers supporting deployed units.

For the past several months, DAU Capital and Northeast Region professors Bob Spangler, Lenny Manning, Dave Fowler, Army Lt. Col. Raleigh Jimenez, and Mike Wooten have been planning and developing the program of instruction with Maj. Sean Hayes, Maj. Chad Dean, and Cmdr. Drew Mullins for the Marine Corps. A pilot program began in October 2006 at Camp Lejeune, N.C.