Requirements Management Certification training program phase 1.

The fiscal year 2007 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), Sec. 801, requires the under secretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, in consultation with the Defense Acquisition University, to develop a training program to certify Department of Defense military and civilian personnel with responsibility for generating requirements for Major Defense Acquisition Programs (MDAPs), effective Sept. 30, 2008. An interim report to Congress was submitted April 17, 2007, and a final report is to be submitted not later than March 1, 2008.

Leading the effort to develop this certification and training program are Dr. James I. Finley, deputy under secretary of defense for acquisition and technology, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics; Army Maj. Gen. William J. Troy, vice director for force structure, resources and assessment, J-8, the Joint Staff; and Frank J. Anderson Jr., president, DAU. The program manager is Patrick Wills, director, executive programs, DAU. They are supported by the involvement of all combatant commands, Services, and defense agencies. The requirements management community is approximately 30,000 professionals; there are approximately 750 individuals associated with requirements generation for MDAPs.

The program is being developed in a three-tiered construct. Phase 1 is the Basic Requirements Management Certification training, which will focus on the Capabilities-Based Planning (CBP) Continuous Learning Module (CLM), which was online effective Oct. 15, 2007. Phase 2 is the Intermediate Requirements Management Certification Training Distance Learning Module, which will be online during the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2008. The Basic and Intermediate Requirements Management Training Certification courses will be the foundation to meet the minimum statutory requirements set by section 801 of the fiscal year 2007 National Defense Authorization Act. The Advanced Resident Training, anticipated to commence during fiscal year 2009, will target the key positions within the requirements community to commence training in that fiscal year. To meet the fourth quarter fiscal year 2007 initial training goals and the Sept. 30, 2008, statutory requirement, the next major step is to convene a requirements management certification training working group.

CBP is as an overarching framework for planning under uncertainty to provide capabilities suitable for a wide range of modern-day challenges and circumstances, while working within an economic framework that necessitates choice. This definition articulates that senior leaders are required to make decisions that narrow "uncertainty" down to a finite range of threat capabilities that are used for planning. In addition, this definition implies that a recommendation is provided to senior leaders, narrowing uncertainty into a finite set of threat capabilities from which a decision can be made.

The CBP CLM will provide the foundational concepts and processes a requirements manager must understand. More specifically the CLM will:

* Define what the capabilities-based planning framework is and identify the internal processes aligned by the framework

* Synchronize the inputs and outputs of the CBP internal processes to facilitate senior leader decisions timed to influence the planning, programming, budgeting, and execution system, which realizes capabilities for the Joint Force and the need to enhance the Joint Force's interoperability and coordination with our interagency and multinational partners during a period of uncertainty in the security environment

* Delineate roles and responsibilities of CBP internal processes and process owners by describing how these internal processes together prepare an integrated set of resource-informed strategic recommendations for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to use in advising the secretary of defense.

Originally scheduled to go live on Oct. 15, 2007, the CBP CLM delivered three days ahead of schedule and within budget. It is anticipated over the next six months, approximately 20,000 requirements managers will take the CBP CLM.

The Capabilities Based Planning Continuous Learning Module is available through the DAU Continuous Learning Web site at <http://clc.dau.mil>. The point of contact is Pat Wills at 703-805-4563 or [e-mail].