DAU GLOSSARY OF DEFENSE ACQUISITION ACRONYMS AND TERMS
Department of Defense Defense Acquisition University (DAU) Production, Coordination, and Optimization Center for Acquisition and Program Management Fort Belvoir, Virginia
The DAU Glossary, also referred to as the Glossary of Defense Acquisition Acronyms and Terms, reflects most acronyms, abbreviations, and terms commonly used in the systems acquisition process within the Department of Defense (DoD) and defense industries. It focuses on terms with generic DoD application but also includes some Service-unique terms. While the glossary identifies and highlights many terms, it is not all-inclusive, particularly regarding the military Services, defense agencies and other organizationally unique terms. The Glossary contains a listing of common abbreviations, acronyms and definitions of terms used throughout the DoD acquisition community, including terms that have commonality between U.S. and Allied acquisition programs. The Glossary is for use by students of DAU, and other working on defense acquisition matters, including congressional staffs, Pentagon and other headquarters (HQ) staffs, program managers and requirements managers of the DoD, and defense contractors.
Glossary Criteria
To improve communications and mutual understanding through the standardization of terminology, the following identifies guidance for inclusion as well as criteria for definition development in the DAU Glossary:
- Follows established procedures outlined herein
- Reflects terminology used throughout the DoD acquisition community
- Broad DoD acquisition applicability
- Terms are limited to generic DoD acquisition processes
- Source document (e.g., DoDI 5000.75) must be approved (not a draft), identified, and cleared for public release
- Written as a definition (stating a precise meaning of what it is) and not as a description (providing an account or image of how/why it works)
- Must appear and be used in the content of an approved document (not just in its glossary)
- Not self-defining (e.g., critical issue: An issue that is critical….)
- Approved term with similar definition does not exist
- Not Service- or functionality-specific unless commonly employed in DoD acquisition processes (technical terms may be included if/where policy deems term as significant to DoD acquisition and definitions are crafted using plain language)
- Not to consist of/contain shortened word forms (abbreviations, acronyms, or initialisms)
- Must be UNCLASSIFIED
- Consistent with U.S. law, policies, regulations, and executive orders
- No separate cross-reference entries (e.g., bundling: As defined in Subpart 2.101 of the FAR)
- Merriam-Webster dictionary term is inadequate for DOD acquisition use
- Noun terms should be in singular form
Disclaimer
Disclaimer The DAU Glossary provides an extensive list of acronyms, abbreviations and terms commonly used in the systems acquisition process within the DoD and defense industries. Many of the terms in the Glossary may be defined in other documents in a different fashion. For example, the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) contains upwards of 600 definitions of words and terms. Definitions that are applicable to all parts of the FAR are contained in FAR Part 2, Definitions of Words and Terms, which contains close to 250 definitions. Other words and terms may be defined for a particular part, subpart or section. Some terms, such as “United States”, have multiple definitions. “United States” is defined 11 different ways in the FAR, due to how it is defined in various pieces of legislation. Some of those definitions differ from the ones contained in the Glossary. The reader may want to use definitions that are provided in the Glossary in solicitations and resulting contracts to help clarify the government’s requirement. In doing so, keep in mind the FAR requires that all solicitations and contracts exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold incorporate the definitions in FAR 2.101 Definitions. See FAR 52.202-1, Definitions, for appropriate clause.
Preface
Preface We welcome your feedback on the DAU Glossary. Please email [email protected] regarding content issues. Include the address of the relevant page (or pages) in the body of the email for faster processing.
The operational and support requirements a program must address (e.g., availability, maintainability, vulnerability, reliability, and logistics supportability).
Munitions that “think for themselves” and have self-contained ability to search, detect, acquire, and engage targets. They will be delivered to target areas by guns, rockets, missiles, or aircraft with the carriers (platforms) delivering from one to a multitude of the munitions.
A written determination that statutory requirements have been met for Milestone A approval as required by 10 U.S.C. 4251. Certification & determination in writing that statutory requirements have been met for Milestone B approval as required by 10 U.S.C. 4252
Advisory and Assistance Services
Programs that are Major Defense Acquisition Programs. A Major Defense Acquisition Program is a program that is not a highly sensitive classified program and that is designated by the USD(A&S) as a Major Defense Acquisition Program; or that is estimated to require eventual expenditure for research, development, test, and evaluation, including all planned increments, of more than $525 million (FY 2020 constant dollars) or procurement, including all planned increments, of more than $3.065 billion (FY 2020 constant dollars). ACAT I programs have three sub-categories: • ACAT 1B for which the MDA is the SAE. • ACAT ID for which the MDA is the DAE, unless delegated. The “D” refers to the Defense Acquisition Board, which advises the USD(A&S) at major decision points. • ACAT IC for which the MDA is the DoD Component head or, if delegated, the DoD component acquisition executive.
A Major Defense Acquisition Program for which the Service Acquisition Executive (SAE) is the Milestone Decision Authority by operation of Section 2430 of Title 10, U.S.C., will be designated within the DoD as ACAT IB programs. The SAE of the Military Department that is managing an MDAP reaching Milestone A after October 1, 2016 will be the MDA for the MDAP and designated ACAT IB to differentiate these programs from ACAT ID programs or ACAT IC programs.
ACAT IC for which the USD(A&S) delegated ACAT I milestone decision authority to the Head of the DoD Component or, if delegated, the Component Acquisition Executive (CAE). This designation (ACAT 1C) is only for programs that reached Milestone A BEFORE October 1, 2016.
ACAT ID for which the USD(A&S) as the Defense Acquisition Executive (DAE) makes a decision to become the MDA or designate another OSD official as the MDA. This decision would be based on one or more exceptions in 10 USC 2430(d). The DAE or designee will review ACAT ID programs.
ACAT II programs are defined as those acquisition programs that do not meet the criteria for an ACAT I program, but do meet the criteria for a major system as defined in Section 2302d of Title 10, U.S.C. The dollar value as estimated by the DoD Component head would require an eventual total expenditure for research, development, and test and evaluation of more than $200 million in FY 2020 constant dollars, or for procurement of more than $920 million in FY 2020 constant dollars. The Component Acquisition Executive (CAE), or the individual designated by the CAE, will review ACAT II programs as the Milestone Decision Authority.
ACAT III programs are defined as those acquisition programs that do not meet the dollar value thresholds for ACAT II or above, and is not designated a “major system” by the Milestone Decision Authority (MDA). The MDA is designated by the Component Acquisition Executive.
The act of an authorized representative of the Government by which the Government, for itself or as agent of another, assumes ownership of existing identified supplies tendered or approves specific services rendered as partial or complete performance of the contract.
A measure of the relative ease of admission to the various areas of an item for operation or maintenance.
Amounts owed to other entities for goods and services received (i.e., actual or constructive receipt), progress in contract performance, and rents due to other entities.
Receivables arise from claims to cash or other assets against another entity. At the time revenue is recognized and payment has not been received in advance, a receivable must be established. Receivables include, but are not limited to, monies due for the sale of goods and services and monies due for indebtedness.
A method of accounting in which revenues are recognized in the period earned and costs are recognized in the period incurred, regardless of when payment is received or made. There have been many initiatives over the years to convert the Federal Budget to an accrual accounting basis. Although the budget is on a cash basis, DoD accounting is on the accrual basis.
Advanced Component Development and Prototypes
Availability of a system with respect to operating time and both corrective and preventive maintenance. It ignores Mean Logistics Delay Time (MLDT) and may be calculated as Mean Time Between Maintenance (MTBM) divided by the sum of MTBM and Mean Maintenance Time (MMT), that is, Aa = MTBM ÷ (MTBM + MMT)
Online encyclopedia of common defense acquisition topics from DAU.
The conceptualization, initiation, design, development, test, contracting, production, deployment, integrated product support, modification, and disposal of weapons and other systems, supplies, or services (including construction) to satisfy DoD needs, intended for use in, or in support of, military missions.
Categories established to facilitate decentralized decision making and execution and compliance with statutorily imposed requirements. The categories determine the level of review, decision authority, and applicable procedures. ACAT categories include: ACAT I, ACAT II, ACAT III, ACAT IV (Navy and Marine Corps only), and Abbreviated Acquisition Program (Navy and Marine Corps only).
The amount, net of both trade and cash discounts, paid for property plus transportation costs and other ancillary costs to bring the item(s) to its current condition and location.
A memorandum signed by the Milestone Decision Authority (MDA) that documents decisions made as the result of a Milestone Decision Review (MDR) or other decision or program review.
The senior working-level group within the DoD Intelligence Community (IC) which serves as a forum to study, discuss, and decide issues concerning and surrounding the provision of threat assessments to all stages of the defense acquisition process, within the framework set by department, agency, joint, and Military Service regulations and directives. Participants include the Military Service intelligence staffs; acquisition, requirements, and testing communities; intelligence production centers and other acquisition intelligence producers; and the Defense Intelligence Agency.
The relationship between the acquisition phases and work efforts, and key program events such as decision points and reviews. It employs acquisition processes that match the characteristics of the capability being acquired.
A comprehensive technical and management discipline that encompasses various activities related to the design, development, testing, production, fielding, sustainment, and modifications of Department of Defense (DoD) systems. Its primary goal is to ensure supportability while minimizing support costs. Once a system is fielded, the majority of its life-cycle costs are attributed to operations and support. This discipline provides users with the necessary resources to sustain the system effectively in the field. Reference Life Cycle Logistics (LCL), Product Support (PS), and Integrated Product Support (ISP) Elements
Management of any or all of the activities within the broad spectrum of “acquisition,” as defined above. Also includes training of the Defense Acquisition Workforce and activities in support of the Planning, Programming, Budgeting and Execution (PPBE) process for defense acquisition systems/programs. For acquisition programs, this term is synonymous with program management.
Persons responsible at different levels for some activity related to developing, producing, and/or fielding an Automated Information System (AIS) or weapon system. Includes senior-level managers responsible for ultimate decisions, program managers (PMs), and commodity or functional-area managers.
Decision reviews to assess a program's readiness to proceed to the next acquisition phase and to make a sound investment decision committing the Department's financial resources.
The plan must identify those milestones at which decisions should be made. The plan must address all the technical, business, management, and other significant considerations that will control the acquisition. The specific content of plans will vary, depending on the nature, circumstances, and stage of the acquisition.
The process by which the efforts of all personnel responsible for an acquisition are coordinated and integrated through a comprehensive plan for fulfilling the agency need in a timely manner and at a reasonable cost. It includes developing the overall strategy for managing the acquisition.