[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 95 (Thursday, June 21, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1127-E1128]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   IN HONOR OF MR. BLAISE J. DURANTE, DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR 
 ACQUISITION INTEGRATION, OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF THE AIR 
                         FORCE FOR ACQUISITION

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. C. W. BILL YOUNG

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 21, 2012

  Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, on the occasion of his retirement, 
I want to take this opportunity to honor Mr. Blaise J. Durante for his 
45 years of dedicated service to our country. In his most recent 
assignment, he served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Acquisition 
Integration, in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force 
for Acquisition. In this role, Mr. Durante oversaw the integration of 
Air Force research, development and acquisition budget formulation and 
execution, and directed streamlined management team activities, 
including acquisition reform and reduction in total ownership cost 
efforts. Mr. Durante directed the development of acquisition policy and 
served as the Chief Financial Officer for the Air Force modernization 
accounts, managing all acquisition reporting systems along with the Air 
Force's international research, development and analysis programs. In 
over four decades of active duty military and civil service, he has 
held numerous director positions, leading both Air Force acquisition 
plans and policy, and joint service programs. Mr. Durante retired from 
the Air Force at the rank of Colonel in May 1992 after 25 years of 
active duty and was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in 1992. 
A native of Everett, Massachusetts, Mr. Durante began his career in the 
Air Force in 1966 after receiving his commission through the Officer 
Training School and graduating from Northeastern University. His active 
duty career included assignments to the Air Force Aero Propulsion 
Laboratory, Air Force Systems Command, Electronic Systems Command, and 
Headquarters, United States Air Force.
  Success has followed Mr. Durante throughout his career, and he is 
known as the Air Force's premier troubleshooter for acquisition 
challenges. As just one example, when the Department of Defense 
cancelled the Tr-Service Standoff Attack Missile program in 1995 and 
the contractor subsequently filed a $1.3 billion contractor claim, the 
Air Force handpicked Mr. Durante to lead a tiger team that aided the 
General Counsel's office in eventually reaching an extremely favorable 
$58.5 million settlement.
  Mr. Durante has held his most recent post since 1994, during which 
time he has had a significant impact on Air Force acquisition processes 
and execution. His Directorate was responsible for integrating the Air 
Force's $40 billion annual Air Force modernization budget, which 
accounted for nearly 30 percent of the total Air Force budget. In this 
role, he monitored performance of the Air Force's 400 plus program 
portfolio to achieve maximum efficiency for limited funding. In fiscal 
year 2011 alone, he executed over 255 actions valued at $2.195 billion 
to fully fund priorities and support our ongoing Overseas Contingency 
Operations.
  For over four decades, Mr. Durante has been a passionate advocate for 
the development of a professional and competent acquisition force. 
Countless leaders today call him, ``Mentor''. He partnered with the 
Defense Acquisition University to better train program managers and led 
his team to develop a comprehensive Career Field Education and Training 
Plan that provided a roadmap for our young men and women to develop 
into the knowledgeable leaders of tomorrow. In 2008, he correctly 
identified a significant gap in leadership training for entry and 
intermediate level program office personnel, and launched the 
Acquisition Leadership Challenge Program. Since its inception, this 
program has graduated over 4000 Air Force acquisition leaders, and 
provided them with critical leadership training previously only 
available to senior managers. As further evidence of his dedication to 
professional development, Mr. Durante is a founding member of the 
Aerospace and Defense Advisory Board for the College of Business 
Administration at the University of Tennessee. He has since inspired 
the creation of the nation's only Executive Master of Business 
Administration program designed for aerospace and defense 
professionals, and sponsored over 48 military and civilian Airmen for 
this unique program.
  Mr. Durante is also known for his dedicated championing of continuous 
process improvement (otherwise known as CPI). Over the past few years, 
he served as lead for several initiatives under the Secretary of the 
Air Force's ``Acquisition Improvement Plan'' and ``CPI 2.0''. He 
successfully filled civilian acquisition vacancies across the Air 
Force, increased civilian and military authorizations, balanced the mix 
of General Officers and Senior Executives, and provided 30 percent more 
training opportunities for acquisition personnel. To stabilize the 
acquisition budget and instill financial discipline in acquisition 
programs, Mr. Durante directed a significant increase in cost 
estimating confidence levels and established realistic baselines for 
cost, schedule and performance. He directed the analysis of contractor 
overhead rates and tied contractor profits directly to their 
performance. He worked directly with a number of industry partners to 
refine accounting and reporting processes to improve accuracy and 
reduce long-term costs to the government. Under CPI 2.0, he also 
simplified cumbersome bureaucracy and reduced oversight to provide 
acquisition programs more stability.
  Finally, Mr. Speaker, I would like to draw your attention to Mr. 
Durante's dedication to success in our overseas conflicts. He 
personally drove the creation of the Iraqi and Afghan Transportation 
Networks as a method of advancing Counterinsurgency Operations, while 
minimizing the exposure of our troops to roadside bombs. This unique 
endeavor established a consortium of tribally owned and operated 
transportation companies that collectively provide secure, dependable 
transportation services throughout hostile territories. This method was 
used in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and the program is estimated to have 
taken 3.5 soldiers and 2.5 gun vehicles off the road for every 10 
Network trucks in service. This is truly an amazing success and 
deserves proper recognition.
  Mr. Speaker, Mr. Durante leaves a legacy of integrity, innovation, 
and dedication to those who serve. I ask that my colleagues join me in 
expressing our sincere appreciation to Mr. Durante for his outstanding 
service to this

[[Page E1128]]

great Nation and the United States Air Force. His exemplary character 
and selfless service have resulted in a career of which he and his 
family can be very proud. I wish them the very best as they face new 
challenges in the coming years. Mr. Durante consistently conducted 
himself in a professional manner, which brought great credit upon 
himself and the United States Air Force. I know my fellow Members of 
the Senate will join me in thanking him for his commitment to this 
Nation and in wishing him all the best in the future.

                          ____________________