Army pushes "factory to front line" focus at AUSA Global Force

Catch up quick: Delivering the keynote address Tuesday morning, Obadal dug into efforts to modernize the Army's Organic Industrial Base.

• Army Materiel Command, headquartered at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, is leading that mandate, he said, by integrating OIB into the acquisition process of major weapon systems, data-driven analytics and planning platforms.
• It's also emphasizing public-private partnerships and its own advanced manufacturing initiatives, like producing drone bodies in-house, according to Obadal.

What they're saying: "We've adopted a commercial-first mindset," he said.

• "Through contracting reform, we have realized efficiencies including an 88% reduction in administration and billions in savings on the removal of pass-through contractual costs by establishing direct-supplier relationships using enterprise contracts."

Context: The ongoing conflict in Iran is demonstrating the need to speed up acquisition and advance technology.

• "This event is underscored by the fact that this month, our Army is engaged in active combat," Obadal said. "This type of combat doesn't look like what many of us became accustomed to. In fact, it's entirely different."

Zoom out: On display at the VBC this week is the latest in defense tech, from anti-drone lasers to autonomous vehicles.

• AUSA Global Force runs through Thursday, and in his introduction before Obadal's address, AUSA president and CEO Bob Brown said this is the highest registration the event has ever had.