DoD Mentor-Protege Program: the department's small business incubator

Defense AT&L, July-August, 2004 by Wynne

In closing, I want to take this moment to personally congratulate all of the Nunn-Perry awardees for their small business contribution toward our nation's defense. Your efforts are both praiseworthy and greatly appreciated. I commend the military services and the other defense agencies for sponsoring exceptional mentor-protege partners. Together, small and large businesses will continue to help transform America's military and keep us strong well into the future. Thank you very much for coming. Thank you very much for listening. And God Bless America.

Editor's note: Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Michael Wynne spoke on transformational goals at a general session of the 2004 DoD Mentor-Protege Conference on March 16.

Wynne's remarks, presented below, focus on the direction of the Mentor-Protege Program as led by Frank M. Ramos, director, Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (SADBU) and on how Ramos, his staff, and all the DoD mentors and protegees can help support the five Joint Staff-directed functional capabilities to which the under secretary and his staff are committed: 1) battlespace awareness, 2) battlespace command and control, 3) force application, 4) protection, and 5) focused logistics.

Editor's note: To learn more about the DoD Mentor-Protege Program, visit their Web site at <http://www.acq.osd.mil/sadbu/mentor_protege>.

RELATED ARTICLE: 2004 NUNN--PERRY AWARDS

Nancy Spruill Joins SADBU Director in Honoring 11 Exceptional Mentor-Protege Teams

Dr. Nancy Spruill (below left), director, Acquisition Resources & Analysis, OUSD(AT & L), joins Frank Ramos (below right), director, Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (SADBU) in honoring 11 teams at the 2004 Nunn-Perry Awards presentation on March 17 in Alexandria, Va. The Nunn-Perry awards provide incentives for major DoD prime contractors--"Mentors"--to help "Proteges"--small disadvantaged businesses, women-owned businesses, and qualified organizations that employ the severely disabled. Recipients of the Nunn-Perry Award are selected on the basis of each mentor-protege team's success in achieving cost-efficiencies, enhancing the protege's technical capabilities, and increasing new business opportunities for prime contracts and subcontracts within the DoD.

In addition to recognizing Nunn-Perry Award winning teams, the 2004 DoD Mentor-Protege Conference focused on "Mentors and Proteges: Transforming America Together through Innovative Technology." Attendees included directors from the military services and other defense agencies, SADBU offices, program managers, other government personnel, and key large and small defense contractors. Keynote speakers included Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Michael Wynne; Congressman Howard P. "Buck" McKeon (R-Calif.); Director, International Affairs, Department of Homeland Security Cresencio "Cris" Arcos; and Ramos.

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