Defense Acquisition Review Journal. Volume 17, Number 2, Issue 54. Achieving Excellence in a Changing Acquisition Environment

Welcome to this very special commemorative issue of the Defense Acquisition Review Journal (ARJ). In 2008, the Defense Acquisition University Alumni Association (DAUAA), along with the DAU Research Department, initiated the annual DAUAA 2010 Research Paper Competition for the DoD acquisition community, including all members of the Defense Acquisition Workforce, the DAU faculty, and the entire commercial defense industry. In 2010, the DAUAA Research Paper Competition was completed for the third consecutive year, and winners will be recognized at the DAU Acquisition Community Symposium on April 13, 2010. The theme for research papers in the 2010 competition is Achieving Excellence in a Changing Acquisition Environment. The top three papers will receive the Hirsch Award and cash prizes of $1,000, $500, and $250 respectively. A panel of subject matter experts reviewed all submitted research papers and selected the top three winners. This research paper competition results from a special relationship between the DAUAA, the DAU Research Department, and the ARJ. I am extremely pleased and proud to publish the three winning papers for the third annual DAUAA 2010 Research Paper Competition in this issue of the ARJ, along with four other outstanding papers that were nominated for awards. The theme for the 2010 competition was very broad, and you will see many diverse topics in this issue. A total of seven papers was selected for publication in this issue.