| Summary: | This study evaluates the primary program used by the Navy to introduce Supply Corps officers into the contract management field, the Navy Acquisition Contracting Officer (NACO) Intern Program. The NACO program was evaluated to determine how successful it has been in helping to preserve a cadre of competent military contracting managers. Surveys from 124 former and current interns, ten telephone interviews with current interns, and ten personal interviews with senior contracting managers provide the data for this evaluation. The results indicate that the NACO program is perceived to be effective in providing junior 1306 subspecialists with instruction and experience in contracting. The research concludes that force reduction and DAWIA requirements have not resulted in changes in the objectives of the NACO program, and identifies specialization as a key issue for the Navy in the future. Respondents and interviewees feel that promotion board discouragement of specialization makes it difficult for officers to become proficient in the contract management field. Further, the NACO program is found to be popular with current and former participants, though there seems to be consensus that more centralized and involved program management is necessary
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