DSCA Director's Blog

Here you will find thoughts and messages from the Director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency and his staff.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

...Departing

This is my last BLOG as the Director of DSCA. For me, it has been a very fast moving three years. As I leave the Agency and retire after a 34 years of service, I do so feeling good about serving and excited about the future.

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Leading DSCA provided wonderful opportunities. As I wrote in an earlier BLOG, it’s all about affecting outcomes…and we did. Over the past three years, the Agency has executed over $100 Billion in sales, and nearly one Billion in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief. Our school houses have trained thousands of folks on the Foreign Military Sales process, hundreds on the rule of law, and our Regional Centers conducted an immense array of courses and seminars.

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All of this was supported by a very thin staff, working on dozens of continuous process improvement projects, being fiscally responsible and transparent. Blend this with an environment where the business has grown by nearly 500% over the past decade. We have totally revamped our business model, moving from a total FMS administration budget of $373M in FY07 to a projected $850M in FY12. Our Strategic Plan is operational, and the 109 metrics are in place and improving across the board.

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Last Friday I signed the acquisition documentation that kicked off the next phase of our acquisition category III program for our new business system that will leverage the business systems in development for the Army, Navy and Air Force. Our program is fully funded at the 95% probability of success and the schedule is projected to be “low risk” with 13 months of margin injected into the program.

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Just last Tuesday, we have documented our first ever, Human Capital Strategy and it will now move it to the execution phase. Yesterday, I was handed a final report, of work done over the last year that details what the shortfalls are for the workforce involved in security cooperation around the world in our Geographical Combatant Commanders. By our analysis, nearly 300 people need to be added to meet the mission requirements. I have approved the funding for the civilian staff increases and the Joint Staff is processing the military increases.

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Finally we are three quarters of a year into the tracking and improvement of the workforce of nearly 11,000 folks that work in the field of security cooperation. The latest metrics show us at a trained level just over 70% and that is up significantly from our status just weeks ago of 45%. Our goal is to get over 80% by the end of this year, and over 95% next year.

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None of this would have been possible without a dedicated staff, the support of OSD Policy, the Joint Staff, the Army, Navy and Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, the State Department, the Congress, our deployed Security Cooperation forces, and importantly, our Partner Nations. And so, the challenges are immense, yet opportunities abound. As I turn over DSCA, like my Australian friends say…”No worries!”

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With the greatest respect,

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Jeff Wieringa

Vice Admiral U.S. Navy

…Departing.

5 comments:

  1. congratulation Sir
    I hope you can Start your life now, what a great job you did for you and your country. we are honard to meet you and hope to see you in Egypt some day.My sincere appreciation for all the friendship & support you have extended to us.
    MG :Mohamed Elkeshky
    Egyptian Defense Attache

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  2. VADM,

    From our our days back in NAVAIR at PMA-265 through NIPO and DSCA it has been a pleasure and and honor to have worked in your commnd the past decade. I wish you great success and personal satisfaction in the years to come.

    Respectfully

    Mike Sears
    DPM International H-60 programs

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  3. Thanks General Elkeshky! You and your wife are great friends. I've treasured our relationship. All the best. Jeff Wieringa Vice Admiral U.S Navy (Ret.)

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  4. Mike- Thanks for your note. You are a great American, a good friend and have done great work for the U.S. Navy. It was great working together over the past decade.

    All the best, Jeff Wieringa VADM U.S. Navy [Ret]

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  5. Your Excellency,


    I wish you a happy, healthy and long retirement, as a deserved period of life after all your dedicated and full of accomplishments service time!

    Your hard work, innovative and efficient management positively impacted not only the US and the US defense system, but also peace and stability around the world.

    Sir, as a Non-US citizen DSCA's programs alumna, please allow me too to express once again my gratitude and appreciation for your and your team efforts to bring the security cooperation at the state-of-the-art level. DSCA's training programs and educational institutions I attended or visited ( NDU, GC Marshall Center), as well as DSCA teams (including the outstanding GC Marshall staff and OSD staff in Bucharest) are the best example to illustrate it and to fully understand Gen George C Marshall quote: "We are now concerned with the peace of the entire world....And the peace can only be maintained by the strong".

    Congratulation and thank you!

    Ioana S STANCEL

    CSIS Romania Director

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