Enclosure (1) to COMDTINST 1520.2
ICAF has expanded the acquisition portion of its curriculum for Senior Acquisition Course students.
Students will be offered a wide choice of research and elective opportunities, as well as a common core
curriculum and two mandatory Advanced Studies in Acquisition Policy courses. Students will be fully
integrated into the ICAF student body for most studies. Separate attention will be provided in acquisition
course work, while retaining the benefits of intermingling with students from the operational and other
functional communities.
The Senior Acquisition Course consists of the entire 10-month ICAF curriculum, enhanced for designated
acquisition students through four major elements:
1.
Core Curriculum. The multi-disciplinary core curriculum includes major acquisition management
issues distributed throughout studies in such courses as Strategic Decision Making, Political Science,
History, Military Strategy, Economics, Elements of National Industrial Power, Joint Military
Logistics, Mobilization, and Industry Studies. A concentrated course in acquisition management is
conducted in the spring in conjunction with the other core curriculum studies. Seminars, lectures
and case studies have been designed to challenge the students to assess current acquisition policy
and practices in the context of National Security Strategy, with an emphasis on acquisition
management in a changing world. Students in the Senior Acquisition Course participate in the core
curriculum with all other ICAF students.
2.
Mandatory Acquisition Policy Advanced Studies. Two mandatory Acquisition Policy Advanced
Studies for Senior Acquisition Students provide the students with focused, in-depth lectures,
seminars, and field trips on key acquisition topics and policy issues. Students meet in small group
settings with senior-level policy makers from DoD, industry, and government, to discuss issues on a
non-attribution basis. Each of the two advanced studies requires a short research paper on an
acquisition topic.
3.
Advanced Studies. A wide array of elective courses covering all aspects of acquisition management
is available. Students select one regional study, one industry study, and two other advanced studies
(electives) courses during the 10-month ICAF program. Acquisition-related electives include 20
different offerings in such subjects as: Government-Industry Relations; Professional Ethics for
Public Officials, Senior Leadership -- Power and Politics, Future Directions in Software
Management, etc.
4.
Research. All students are given the opportunity to undertake a major research project and produce
a fully documented, scholarly paper. Acquisition students are encouraged to work on projects that
have current critical interest in the Defense community. Each project is monitored by a faculty
research advisor. Topics of timely interest are solicited from throughout the acquisition community
and the National Security community for student research. Acquisition students completing
particularly exceptional research compete for research awards both honorary and monetary to
include an award sponsored and presented by the DAU.
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