Principal Assistant for Research and Technology (PART)

Mission

The Principal Assistant for Research and Technology (PART) serves as the Technical Director and Chief Scientist for all of the Command's assigned Science and Technology (S&T) Programs and as senior executive-level representative at meetings and other decision-making forums including all government agencies, congressional offices, academia, and private industry. In addition to providing executive-level oversight and management of the Command's medical S&T investment strategy, the PART ensures responsive focus on Warfighter medically-related information and materiel needs, integrates with emerging concepts of continuity of healthcare for the full spectrum of military operations, and, ensures a sustainable S&T infrastructure to support those needs and concepts.

 

In coordination with other Headquarters USAMRDC Staff Principals, the PART develops, oversees, and has final authority for transparent and inclusive business processes required to meet DHA mission responsibilities. They also lead USAMRDC staff support in development of Joint Program Committee (JPC) research programs, and provides execution guidance that is consistent with DHA intent. The PART directly supports the Director of Defense Health Agency Research, Development, and Acquisition Directorate (DHA RDA). The mission of the PART involves assuring total integration of Defense Health Program and Army investment programs against Joint and Service requirements, and assuring compliance with policy and program guidance, and established processes for all investment strategies and recommendations to the DHA RDA Director.

Lines of Effort (LOE)

The PART continues driving the MRDC S&T enterprise to address Army priorities. Recent guidance from the Army Futures Command (AFC) to focus S&T investments shapes the PART's strategic initiatives for the MRDC S&T enterprise. AFC guidance includes:

• The evaluation of state of the art and convergence points of technologies across academia, industry, and other Government Agencies to determine where Army should lead, shape, and watch;
• Building and maintaining core competencies that are inherent to the Army that Universities and Industry cannot/will not do;
• Evaluating in-house/out-house financial/manpower information;
• Developing near-term solutions based on assessments and identifying requirements the proposed S&T plans are addressing; and,
• Addressing the Army's Modernization Priorities and Cross-Functional Teams in addition to S&T efforts directed towards Combat Casualty Care and Soldier Readiness.

The PART's diverse customer set also requires a focus on Joint S&T priorities resourced through the Defense Health Program and the Chemical Biological Defense Program. The PART continues engaging in Joint S&T planning activities to invest, innovate, and transition technical solutions in Combat Casualty Care, Military Operational Medicine, Military Infectious Diseases, Clinical and Rehabilitative Medicine, Medical Simulation and Information Sciences, and Medical Chemical Biological Defense. The PART also works closely with the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) to provide strategic directions for Congressional Special Interest programs supporting S&T priorities of interest to the Army and Joint Force.