Every Ounce Matters, Every Bullet Counts

Project Manager 

Soldier Survivability

Project Manager Soldier Survivability 

(PM SSV)

Joint Advanced Planning Brief to Industry

4 Nov 20

COL Derek A. Bird

Project Manager, Soldier Survivability

derek.a.bird.mil@mail.mil 

Mr. William K. Brower

Deputy Project Manager, Soldier Survivability

william.k.brower.civ@mail.mil
Agenda

2

• Army Priorities

• PM SSV Organization

• Focus Areas

• Current Efforts

• Future Efforts

• Funding Outlook

• Rapid Fielding Initiative (RFI)

• Points of Contact 
Army Priorities 

3

• Secretary, Chief of Staff, and Sergeant 

Major of the Army

 Regionally Aligned Readiness and 

Modernization Model (ReARMM)

 Prioritizing People and Team

 Total Army Readiness to meet 

Operational Requirement

• Army Futures Command

 Force Modernization

 Innovation

 31+ Priorities – Soldier Lethality 

 Informing requirements with Soldier 

Touch Points

• PEO Soldier

 Deliver modernized capability to ensure 

Soldier Readiness

 Developing a culture of innovation
PM SSV Organization

4

PM Survivability Mission: Equip, clothe, and protect 

Soldiers to maximize performance today and provide 

enhanced capability tomorrow

PM Soldier

Survivability

PEO 

Soldier

Ft Bliss, TX

(FIP)

Ft Hood, TX

(FIP)

Natick, MA

(CCDC-SC)

Philadelphia, PA

(LSO)

Ft Lee, VA

(Airdrop NET)

Sierra Army

Depot, CA

(TACOM)

Lansing, MI

(Staging)

Yuma, AZ

(Freefall NET)

Fort Belvoir, VA

Director, Business 

Management

(Acting) Director, 

Logistics Management

Mr. Terry Boddie Director, Quality 

Assurance

Mr. Duane Cook

Director, Operations 

& Plans

Mr. Gary Pesano

Enlisted Advisor

MSG Sean Blevins

Project Manager

Soldier Survivability

COL Derek Bird

Deputy

DASC Mr. Bill Brower

Mr. Elliott Bird

Ms. Megan Allums (Acting) Director, 

Technical Management

Mr. Chris Baker

APMs

MAJ Justin Bond

MAJ Melissa Elledge

APMs

MAJ Jason Galletta

MAJ Philip Yandall

Product Manager Soldier 

Clothing and Individ Equip

LTC Naim Lee

Deputy 

Mr. Jeff Myhre

Senior NCO Advisor

Vacant

Product Manager 

Soldier Protective Equipment

LTC Stephen Miller

Deputy 

Mr. Cary Ferguson

Senior NCO Advisor

Vacant

Product Manager 

Air Warrior

LTC Bryan Bogardus

Deputy 

Mr. Jim Isaacs

Senior NCO Advisor

Vacant

APMs

MAJ James Chaney

Redstone, AL

Redstone, AL

(Air Warrior)
Soldier Survivability’s Focus Areas

5

• Soldier Readiness

 Enduring Requirements

 Directed Requirements

 Operational Needs Statements / Joint Urgent Operational Needs

Statements

• Increased Lethality

 Soldier Load – decreased weight

 Soldier Integration

 Increased Ballistic Protection

• Divestiture / Life Cycle Management

• Organizational Clothing and Individual Equipment (OCIE) 

Commonality across Services and continued support of the 

Warfighter
Current Efforts

6

• Soldier Protection System

 Reduced Weight

 Increased Ballistic Capability

 Laser Eye Protection

 High Contrast Lenses

• Cold Weather Combat Boot (CWCB)

• Cold Weather/Extreme Cold Weather Glove

System
Future Efforts

7

• Ballistic and Blast Protection

 Ballistic Combat Shirt

 Blast Pelvic Protection

• Organizational Clothing & Individual Equipment

• Advanced Combat Vehicle Crewman (ACVC) Uniform

• Cold Weather Survival Blanket

• Over-the-Snow Mobility

• Water Filtration

 Toxic Industrial Chemical/Toxic Industrial Material 

(TIC/TIM) Removal

 Individual Desalinization

• Signature Management/Spectral Mitigation

• Conductive Materials in Textiles
Funding Outlook

8

60

40

20

0

FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25

RDTE

Presidents Budget FY21

$M

Central Funding & Fielding (OMA)

300

200

100

0

FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25

$M
Funding Outlook (Cont)

9

600

400

200

0

Overseas Contingency (OCO)

FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25

Presidents Budget FY21

$M

Predominantly Rapid Fielding Initiative (RFI)

RFI List updated, validated, and resourced annually
Points of Contact

10

COL Derek Bird

Project Manager, Soldier Survivability

derek.a.bird.mil@mail.mil

(703) 704-3322

LTC Naim Lee

Product Manager, Soldier Clothing 

and Individual Equipment 

naim.r.lee.mil@mail.mil 

(703) 805-8514

LTC Stephen Miller

Product Manager, Soldier 

Protective Equipment

stephen.e.miller.civ@mail.mil 

(703) 704-9321

LTC Bryan Bogardus

Product Manager, Air Warrior

bryan.m.bogardus.mil@mail.mil

(256) 876-4675

Mr. Bill Brower

Deputy Project Manager, Soldier Survivability

william.k.brower.civ@mail.mil 

(703) 704-3325

Mr. Jeff Myhre

Deputy Product Manager, Soldier Clothing and 

Individual Equipment

jeffery.j.myhre.civ@mail.mil 

(703) 805-8506

Mr. Cary Ferguson

Deputy Product Manager, Soldier Protective 

Equipment

cary.v.ferguson.civ@mail.mil 

(703) 704-0711

Mr. James Isaacs

Deputy Product Manager, Air Warrior

James.r.isaacs.civ@mail.mil 

(256) 876-4676