BEDFORD, Mass. - The Hanscom Representatives Association heard from Lloyd Corricelli at Bamboo, a restaurant in Bedford, May 30. Personnel from various companies came out knowing how foreign military sales can impact them.
Corricelli is the senior materiel leader of the International Command and Control and Sensors Division, Program Executive Office Digital at Hanscom AFB. His presentation’s focus was on defining FMS, acquisition strategies and how friendly partnerships with other nations are an important key to success.
“The more we talk to industry and know what your capabilities are, we can better know how to fill our foreign partner capability gaps,” Corricelli said.
His appearance was the first part of a summer luncheon speaker series for HRA. The organization brings representatives from small, large, and startup businesses in the Hanscom AFB region together to encourage collaboration in the acquisition process.
Corricelli said his goal in FMS is to move away from taking reactive measures.
“We need to consider what capabilities do we need our partners to have in order to meet combatant commands priorities,” he said. “We have to be strategic; we have to be proactive. We have to be part of the fight and understand where FMS fits into the Secretary of the Air Force’s operational imperatives.”
When involvement from FMS is needed, sooner in the process is better than later.
“I like to come in early,” Corricelli said.
The FMS function is meant to facilitate the sales of U.S. arms, defense equipment, defense services and military training to foreign governments. It is based on countries being authorized to participate in cases as the mechanism to procure capabilities and services, and a deposit in a U.S. trust fund or appropriate credit and approval to fund services.
Operations tied to FMS account for 70 percent of the dollars executed by the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Corricelli said.
“The international E-7 program is a big player at Hanscom moving forward,” he said. “It is a huge piece of what we do.”
International arms sales involve U.S. contractors selling directly to foreign partners, those facilitated by the U.S. government with the partner nation covering the cost, those with the U.S. financing the sale and those the U.S. funds through the Building Partner Capacities program.
“We are trying to encourage our partners to be more independent, learning how to do direct commercial sales where it’s appropriate,” Corricelli said. “We don’t always need to be as involved when there aren’t export controls in place.”
He also serves as the FMS senior functional for the AFLCMC’s Digital directorate. In this role, Corricelli is responsible for the acquisition execution of $10 billion in FMS programs supporting more than two dozen coalition partners.
He pitched FMS to the HRA members as a unique way to grow their network.
“Some of our partners are extremely easy to work with,” he said. “You can make friends and build bridges. Those who don’t embrace this don’t last long in FMS.
“There is a lot of opportunities for FMS in your companies.”
Corricelli began his Air Force career as a second lieutenant in the Air Force Security Police as a flight commander and nuclear weapons convoy commander. He spent six years in industry as a project manager before accepting a position in the Strategic and Nuclear Deterrence System Program Office at Hanscom AFB in 2001. He has worked in various program offices to include counterdrug and control systems, force protection, responsive cyber and international airborne.
He holds a Bachelor of Science in administration of criminal justice from the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, a Master of Arts in international relations and conflict resolution from American Military University and has received multiple awards and honors.
He will be retiring in September after 31 years of service.
To learn more about HRA, visit the organization's website.