Project Manager

Soldier Survivability

Project Manager 

Soldier Survivability

Every Ounce Matters, Every Bullet Counts

Project Manager Soldier Survivability (PM SSV)

Commonality & Standardization Panel 

Joint Advanced Planning Brief for Industry

COL Stephen Thomas

Project Manager 

Soldier Survivability

stephen.thomas4.mil@mail.mil 

Mr. Andrew T. Clements

Deputy Project Manager 

Soldier Survivability

andrew.t.clements.civ@mail.mil 6 November 2019
Agenda

 Overview

 Collaborative Synchronized Process

 Recent Successes

 Moving Forward – New Program Process

 Programs in Sustainment

 Questions
Overview

The Services have made significant investments in 

Organizational Clothing and Individual Equipment 

(OCIE) and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). 

There is a tremendous opportunity to share 

common solutions.

Goal – Achieve common material solutions for 

all Services - where it makes sense
Recent Successes

Item Proponent Adopted by:

Modular Scalable Vest w/BCS U.S. Army USAF

A2CU – Female Fit U.S. Army USA items; Modification 

efforts co-led USAF/Army

Athletic Footwear DoD/U.S. Army Lead USN, USAF, USMC, USCG

ECWCS U.S. Army USAF, USMC

Military Combat Eye Protection (MCEP) 

Authorized Protective Eyewear List U.S. Army USMC, USN, USAF, USCG

PPE - Hard Armor U.S. Army USN, USAF, USMC, USCG

Sleep System USMC U.S. Army, USAF

Soft Armor Ballistic Protection U.S. Army USAF, USMC

Over-whites USMC U.S. Army

OCP ACU/A2CU U.S. Army USAF

Knee & Elbow Pads U.S. Army USMC

Enhanced Combat Helmet USMC U.S. Army (for Deployers)

Cold Weather Parka USN USCG

Blue Shirt USAF USCG

Maternity Utility Specs USAF U.S. Army

Coyote Boot U.S. Army USAF

ICWB/ICWG U.S. Army USAF

Improved Combat Vehicle Coverall U.S. Army USMC

Lightweight Exposure Suit U.S. Army USMC

Blast Pelvic Protector U.S. Army USMC

Modular Handgun Holster U.S. Army USMC, USAF

1606 Pack Frame USMC U.S. Army

Plate Carrier GEN III USMC USN

Forums leverage opportunities to 

enhance commonality to improve 

item efficiencies

Results

Quarterly

Forums

 Cross Service Warfighter 

Equipment Board (CS-WEB)

 CS-WEB Requirements Integration

 Joint Clothing and Textile 

Governance Board (JCTGB)

Quarterly

November 2016

Quarterly

Annually

Ongoing

As Required

As Required

• Joint Clothing and Textile Advisory 

Council (JCTAC)

• Joint Advanced Planning Brief to 

Industry (JAPBI)

• Army working w/ USAF in 

development of PM shop

• Inter-Service Body Armor Working 

Group

• Body Scanning (sizing) Working 

Group

• Flame Resistance WorkingGroup

• Coverall Working Group

• DoD Industry Footwear Committee

• Cold Weather Working Group

Biannually

As Required 

Annually

Biannually

 Functional SpecificForums
Moving Forward – New 

Program Process

Technology 

Maturation 

and Risk 

Reduction 

Materiel 

Solution 

Analysis

Engineering 

and 

Manufacturing 

Development

Production 

and 

Deployment

Operations 

and Support

6.1 / 6.2 6.3/6.4 6.5 Production Sustainment

Eliminates Duplication of 

Effort

Reduced Labor / Shared Support

Cost Avoidance 

• Program Management

- Reduced documentation

• Contracting

- One contracting action

• Test 

- One Test for all Warfighters

Reduced Costs

Economy of 

Scale Cost 

Savings Realized 

for Initial 

Production 

Reduced Costs

Economy of Scale Cost 

Savings Realized for longtern Sustainment 

Cost Avoidance realized by 

cross-leveling assets and 

reducing number of items 

managed in inventory

Divestiture and Total 

Lifecycle 

Management 

Collaboration

One Production 

Contract with 

Multiple CLINs

Program 

Collaboration, 

Shared Test, Shared 

Documentation, one 

solicitation

Program 

Collaboration, 

Shared Test, Shared 

Documentation, one 

solicitation

Efficient Processes = Reduced Costs = Increased ability to outfit 

more Warfighters with optimal OCIE
Programs in Sustainment

 DLA-TS is the OCIE sustainment partner for all Services

 Conduct regular meetings with all Services

 Identify items currently in the Services’ inventories that 

may present opportunities to become common 

solutions

 Goals

- Reduce number of items in DoD inventory

- Reduce number of contract actions and test

- Gain economies of scale cost savings

- Gain manufacturing efficiencies

- Ability to cross-level assets across Services, as appropriate

Efficient Processes = Reduced Costs = Increased ability to outfit 

more Warfighters with optimal OCIE
Example

Widget 

Capability

Result: One Common Solution for all Services

Unique Materiel Solutions to fill 

similar/common capability gap

Multi-Service 

Capability Gap

Requirement 

and test data 

analysis 

Determine 

feasibility of 

common solution 

based on 

requirements and 

test data 

USN – Widget A

USMC – Widget B

USA – Widget C

USAF – Widget D

Analyze impact 

on Service and 

Industrial Base

Evaluate costs

Develop 

divestiture plans/ 

cross-level legacy 

assets across 

Services 

Services 

adopt 

Common 

Solution

Bada Bing –Reduced 

contracting actions, 

cost savings, 

improved 

manufacturing 

processes