FMS-ACES moves into execution phase

After a five-month competitive prototype phase, PEO Enterprise’s Foreign Military Sales – Army Case Execution System (FMS-ACES) received authorization Sept. 20 to move into the execution phase of the Software Acquisition Pathway. 

In partnership with a single vendor, FMS-ACES — which is part of the Defense Integrated Business Systems (DIBS) portfolio — is proceeding full steam ahead with a commercial off-the-shelf, platform as a service solution that will set up the program for development in the cloud-based Army operational environment.  

The solution will allow the Army’s FMS community and its stakeholders to have an end- to-end modernized case execution and management system, integrated logistics, financial and audit compliance, new reporting, query and data visualization capabilities, and data standardization that are integrated through state-of-the-art interface management services.  

FMS-ACES’ entry into the execution phase represents a key step forward for DIBS and its continued efforts to transition from a waterfall mindset to an Agile approach. The transition positions the DIBS portfolio as a trailblazer in modernizing its software initiatives, aligning closely with the Army’s digital transformation agenda. 

“This was a huge achievement for the Army in many ways,” said FMS-ACES’ product lead Kelly Rutherford. “This is going to support the continuous modernization of the Army’s Security Assistance Enterprise.” 

The execution phase has already begun with an initial kickoff meeting Sept. 25 and program increment planning scheduled for Oct. 29. That puts FMS-ACES on track for releasing a minimal viable capability release (MVCR) to end users in an operational environment within one year. By September 2025, FMS-ACES will regularly deliver valuable products incrementally, embodying the true spirit of Agile. 

“With software acquisition, it’s never done, so we [at FMS-ACES] will be in a continuous modernization effort to where we’re always building onto the software, providing capabilities and enhancing the footprint,” said Rutherford. “FMS-ACES is always questioning things. I don’t think a week or day goes by when we’re not trying to test the boundaries of what’s possible under the 5000.87 Software Acquisition Pathway. Just because we’ve done something one way before doesn’t mean we have to continue doing it that way.” 

As part of the execution process, FMS-ACES is working alongside other PEO Enterprise programs — including the General Fund Enterprise Business System, Logistics Modernization Program and Army Enterprise Systems Integration Program Hub — to share operational lessons learned and best practices, and to trade ideas. 

“We [at PEO Enterprise] are all one big family,” Rutherford said. “We support each other.”  

FMS-ACES’ mission and vision does not end with MVCR. With the Army Security Assistance Enterprise reform efforts underway to improve FMS processes and operations, the full functionality of the Army’s future FMS system of record is yet to come.  

“FMS-ACES is going places at the speed of relevance,” Rutherford said.