My DCMA: Brian Pohlen, QA team lead

My DCMA: Brian Pohlen, QA team lead

By Elizabeth Szoke DCMA Public Affairs

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -

My DCMA showcases the Defense Contract Management Agency's experienced and dedicated workforce and highlights what being a part of the national defense team means to them. Today, Brian Pohlen shares his story.

My name is Brian Pohlen and this is "My DCMA."

I am a quality assurance team lead assigned to DCMA Great Plains and have been with the agency for 11 years. I joined DCMA in 2013 through the Keystone program, the agency's primary acquisition training and development initiative. I was assigned to a quality assurance "geo" team, which means we provided acquisition oversight for a large geographic area of Minnesota.

My current duties include producing training materials and conducting regular trainings. I also assist my teammates to help meet warfighter support objectives and review the team's work for compliance to policies. Our office covers resident facilities in Minnesota, which includes Northrop Grumman and its proving grounds, Vista (formerly Federal Cartridge), General Dynamics, BAE Systems and Honeywell.

What I like best about my job is working with my teammates on a variety of programs and projects. During my 11 years here, I have been able to work on a multitude of programs and to take a wide spectrum of training, to include training at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and the Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Another great thing about DCMA is the opportunity to work all over the world. One summer as a Keystone, I did a 90-day tour with DCMA International and traveled to its Singapore office where I worked with Thailand's Air Force. In addition to working with large contractors, I enjoy working with small "mom and pop shops" that contribute critical components and services to prime contracts.

Our work is important to America's warfighters and taxpayers because we ensure equipment is exactly what the services ordered, works as expected and remains at cost, contributing to the Defense Department's mission of achieving peace through strength. Being the independent, actionable eyes and ears of the customer in the facilities allows us to monitor manufacturing processes and precisely target areas that can be improved. We are highly trained and have inside-knowledge of the contractors that is invaluable to our customers.

My goals for the upcoming year are to continue keeping my team's training current, to support them through any changes to our computer systems and to ensure everyone stays compliant to policies.

Some of the great things about working for DCMA Great Plains is access to lakes and rivers for boating, kayaking, fishing or just enjoying the outdoors. My friends and I regularly go camping, and in the winter, we enjoy cross country skiing, snowmobiling, ice fishing and participating in various winter festivals.

I live in rural Minnesota, so my favorite hobbies include planting trees and shrubs to support the wildlife in the area. This fall, I plan to start planting a half-acre of native prairie flowers and seeding the grass airstrip to transform it into a huge bee lawn for pollinator habitat. I also remodeled a farmhouse built in 1900, in which we found the original pioneer cabin from 1866 inside the walls. From that, I learned how to restore axe hewn logs - whether I wanted to or not! When I'm not working on the house or property, I enjoy taking my girlfriend and dog on our boat to explore the lakes and rivers of Minnesota.

Something unique about me is that I started flying lessons at 15 years old and flew solo for my 16th birthday.

my dcma quality assurace Keystone Brian Pohlen DCMA Great Plains Central