Submit a 9 to 10 page paper detailing a major program that has been managed, via the acquisition process, over the past decade. The content of the paper should demonstrate your understanding of the acquisition and program manager processes discussed over the past eight weeks. Review all Learning Objectives. Research the learning objective in the library and on the web. Write this 9 to 10 page paper, plus the title page and a reference page. That means a 9 page paper would actually consist of 11 pages and a 10 page paper would actually consist of 12 pages. The title page and the reference page are never counted ini na formal college paper. As always, read all the lesson notes before you start this assignment as new or current events may have been updated since the start of class. *Brief Recap* We started this semester by discussing JCIDS, which is a process that aims to provide the warfighter with the capabilities needed to perform across military operations and challenges. As discussed, JCIDS is a method of learning what the warfighter needs and finding a way to get it to them when they need it. JCIDS is the starting point in the DoD acquisition process. Every lesson this semester touched on JCIDS, or a part of the process. If there is a single process or component of this course that you should have taken away from this course, it is JCIDS. As you saw this semester, gaining knowledge about the DoD acquisition process was imperative to understanding how program management works. Week two began with a discussion of another daunting acronym; DOTMLPF, which stands for Doctrine, Organization, Training, Materiel, Leadership, and Education, Personnel, and Facilities. DOTMLPF is a crucial aspect of the Joint Capabilities Integration Development System (JCIDS) process. Rather than rehashing each element of this process, please do refer back to the week two lesson. Suffice to say, the process that must take place before a new technology can be deployed in the field is long and involved. In week three, we defined (at least we tried to define…) program management. We learned that this concept encompassed so much more than we likely knew before taking this course. What was clear about this concept was the need for a strong, centralized leader, which is known as the program manager. The discussion progressed to Test and Evaluation (T&E), which we determined takes place throughout the acquisition process. T&E is required before any system can be put into the field, so it must begin early in the process. Week four brought a discussion of the beginning stages of the acquisition process, in which we came away with an appreciation for how many individuals are involved in the early stages of the procurement process. We learned that the early stages (and every stage, for that matter) an acquisition must be completed properly in order to ensure success at the next stage. We likened the acquisition process to a house of cards that was only as strong as its foundation. We also learned that the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics (USD(AT&L)) is the top of the DoD Acquisition Authority Chain, and is ultimately responsible for DoD acquisition. After talking about JCIDS for four weeks, week five finally asked us to truly define the concept. We learned that the Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System is a Department of Defense Process by which capabilities are identified, assessed, and prioritized to ensure the military is able to fulfill its mission. As we discussed, the JCIDS process is predicated on the DoD’s belief that it should be identifying more was to achieve improved strategic capabilities in more than one manner, by multiple services. The key concept of JCIDS is the “Joint” in the title, with several agencies working together. We then discussed Key Performance Parameters (KPP) and the Net Ready-Key Performance Parameter (NR-KPP), which involves testing and evaluation of several interdependent components during the acquisition process. A common theme throughout the semester was an emphasis on you attempting to apply the concepts to real-world systems or programs. This was on full display in week six when we talked about the F-35 and the declaration of Initial Operational Capability (IOC) and Full Operational Capability (FOC) of the program. Looking at the systems declaration of IOC and lack of declaration of FOC really drove home the point that FOC is not declared pre-deployment. FOC is not declared until the entire production of an item is complete. Last week we concluded the learning objectives for the semester by (1) describing the four phases of the resource allocation process; and (2) explaining why there is an on-year and off-year cycle process in the resource allocation process. Not to get too into this discussion, but we started by learning that a resource (which was to be allocated) does not consist only of money; there are many resources, which are defined as being limited in some fashion. That wraps up the information we have discussed this semester. We talked about a lot of concepts, all of which are interrelated in some way. I hope you learned a lot of new information these past eight weeks; I always learn a lot from my students. It truly has been a pleasure learning with all of you this semester. I am constantly amazed at how much I learn from my students. You all have bright futures ahead of you and I want you to know that you can always reach out to me if you have questions as you progress through your educational and professional career. Best of luck!

In contrast to John Rawls, Robert Nozick contends that the proper role of government is not to meddle with the distribution of resources so as to produce a “fair” distribution. Instead, the right to self-ownership and the right to hold property, free of government intervention, are paramount. What does Nozick mean by self-ownership and the right to property? How does Nozick’s conception of fairness differ from Rawls’s?