HUNTSVILLE, Ala. –
Army Col. Kenneth Darnall served as the Defense Contract Management Agency Central Region commander from July 2023 to October 2025 and is the outgoing Product Acceptance and Proper Payment, or PAPP, capability board manager.
Over the last 13 years, he has served in the Central, Western, Eastern, and International Regions, Aircraft Integrated Maintenance Operations and at DCMA headquarters.
Darnall, who was commissioned in 1999, will start his military leave in March and retire after 27 years of active-duty service in May. Prior to his departure, he reflected on his service at DCMA.
Q1. What is the PAPP Capability Board, and why is it important?
A1. The Product Acceptance and Proper Payment Capability Board exists to ensure the Department of War receives exactly what it pays for – on-time delivery of products, contractual requirements met, and the items at the right cost. PAPP brings together cross-functional expertise to strengthen how DCMA verifies product acceptance, ensures proper payment, and reduces the risk across the acquisition lifecycle. It is important because product acceptance and payment integrity sit at the intersection of mission readiness, fiscal stewardship and public trust. When we get this right, we protect the warfighter, the taxpayer and the credibility of the acquisition enterprise.
Q2. When did you become the champion for the initiative, and what principles did you use to lead the effort?
A2. I became the deputy PAPP capability board manager shortly after becoming the Central Region commander in July 2023. Not too long after that, Sonya Ebright, the DCMA deputy director, asked me to step up into the role as the capability board manager. It is a role that I have truly enjoyed. This position directly aligns with my core leadership principles, which are accountability, stewardship and people doing the right thing even when it’s difficult. Product acceptance and proper payment are foundational to everything DCMA does, and I believed strongly that PAPP could help institutionalize and streamline best practices across the agency.
Q3. How does PAPP help and influence the DCMA mission?
A3. PAPP directly supports DCMA’s mission by ensuring prompt and accurate contractor payments while maintaining strong internal controls and fiscal compliance. Over the past two years, the team has made meaningful progress toward improving how acceptance and payment risks are identified, managed and mitigated. By providing updated policy, tools, practical guidance, and cross-functional collaboration, PAPP enables the workforce to execute more efficiently while maintaining accountability and trust.
Q4. You previously held a CALM-PAPP summit in September. What were some of the highlights and taskers that came from the event?
A4. The Contract Administration Lifecycle Management, or CALM, and PAPP capability boards held a summit at DCMA Great Plains in Bloomington, Minnesota, Sept. 3-4. The CALM-PAPP summit was a pivotal moment for the capability. It reinforced the importance of collaboration across functions and organizations and helped align priorities moving forward. Key outcomes included identifying policy gaps, prioritizing supplemental guidance such as the acceptance manual, and strengthening coordination with external partners. The summit also generated momentum for interagency engagement, particularly in the payments arena, and set the stage for several initiatives now underway.
Q5. Does PAPP work with the other capability boards?
A5. Yes, PAPP works closely with the other capability boards because many acceptance and payment challenges cross functional boundaries. Collaboration ensures solutions are integrated, practical and sustainable. That same philosophy extends outside the agency, where PAPP actively engages with partners at the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Defense Contract Audit Agency, and the Warfighting Acquisition University to leverage expertise and ensure alignment across the broader acquisition community.
Q6. How many team members serve on PAPP, and are you looking for more?
A6. PAPP is comprised of about a dozen core team members with a wider network for a total of about 80 folks in varying capacities from across the agency and DoW, representing a broad mix of contracting, engineering, finance, quality and operational expertise. Last year we strengthened the team by selecting Kelli Zagata as the deputy capability board manager, adding two new secretariats, and naming Army Lt. Col. Tom Cayia as the next military co-lead.
Ms. Zagata is the director of Strategic Engagement and Performance at Defense Contract Management Agency headquarters, but is based in New Cumberland, Pennsylvania. Lt. Col. Cayia is the commander of DCMA Milwaukee.
Recruitment remains a priority for fiscal year 2026 as PAPP focuses on building a talent pipeline, particularly as responsibilities continue to grow, resources remain constrained, and more opportunity awaits. We are looking for motivated professionals with hands-on experience who want to help shape enterprise solutions. Interested individuals should coordinate through their leadership or contact the PAPP leadership team.
Q7. What are some of PAPP’s achievements?
A7. PAPP has delivered tangible results, including the completion of the acceptance manual, development of robust job aids such as the Progress Payment Guide, and the advancement of interagency initiatives with DFAS and DCAA. The team has also prepared alternative proposals for FY26 metrics, strengthened support to Financial Improvement and Audit Readiness and Risk Management and Internal Control efforts, and provided technical assistance to major programs and enterprise initiatives.
These achievements reflect a shift from concept to execution and are the direct result of a group of the fantastic capability board team leads, Jason Rathsack, Sandra Nelson and Army Lt. Col. Steve Settembre, who is the commander of DCMA St. Louis. From the moment I joined PAPP, Lt. Col. Settembre has been its steady heartbeat, and his leadership and organization have been essential to the team’s cohesion and progress.
Q8. Can you discuss contract challenges, and how did PAPP help address them?
A8. Challenges related to product acceptance, corrective actions, logistics, transportation and payment oversight are not uncommon in complex programs. PAPP addresses these issues by focusing on root causes rather than symptoms and by bringing together the right expertise.
Some examples include supporting progress payment system reviews in coordination with DCAA, resolving policy and system issues within Wide Area Workflow, and leading revisions to agreements with the Defense Logistics Agency. These efforts improve consistency, reduce risk and support better outcomes across the enterprise.
Q9. You are about to retire from the Army. How long were you with DCMA and when do you leave?
A9. I have been part of the DCMA community for 13 years. I started out as a contract administrator and then became an administrative contracting officer at DCMA Boeing Mesa in Arizona. I have been fortunate to see the agency from many angles by serving in each region, international, and headquarters in varying roles. I will retire from the Army in May, concluding a 27-year career in uniform.
I am proud to announce my successor as the next PAPP capability board manager is Army Col. Andra Moore, who is the commander of DCMA Radars and Sensors. She took over on Jan. 1, and PAPP is in excellent hands!
Q10. What did you learn from leading the Central Region?
A10. It was a humbling experience to work with such high-performing professionals at both the staff level as well as each of the contract management offices. The chance to learn from DCMA legend Cal Bailey, the Central Region deputy who recently retired in December, was an absolute honor as well leading the region was an incredible opportunity for my growth as a leader and acquisition professional.
Commanding the Central Region reinforced for me that leadership is fundamentally about people. It is especially fundamental during times of significant organizational change as success depends on trust, communication, and empowering professionals at every level. The experience also highlighted the importance of disciplined governance and collaboration across the agency to sustain mission execution through transition.
Q11. What were some highlights or mission milestones from the Central Region?
A11. Some of the highlights included sustaining delivery across more than $1.13 trillion in contracts, improving contractor risk profiles, supporting major weapons system programs and executing the transformation to the DCMA Vision architecture. The Central Region team delivered thousands of aircraft, vehicles, missiles, and munitions, while maintaining strong performance metrics throughout sustained change. I feel like I have a special place in the agency’s history being the last Central Region commander.
Q12. How will your DCMA experience help you in future endeavors?
A12. DCMA has provided me with invaluable experience in governance, risk management, operations, and collaboration across government and industry. We have such a unique perspective as an independent agency to both view and help ensure contractors and most importantly, our programs are successful. Those lessons translate directly to future roles that require disciplined execution, ethical leadership, and the ability to lead through complexity while keeping people and mission at the center.
Q13. How will the new agency structure help the agency support warfighters?
A13. The new structure better aligns DCMA with the Department of War’s broader acquisition reform efforts, which emphasize speed, adaptability, and mission-focused outcomes. As the department continues to push for more agile acquisition pathways, increased use of digital tools, and earlier risk identification, DCMA must be structured to deliver insight where and when it matters most.
By organizing the Systems Command and the Geographic & Systems Support Command, DCMA is positioning its expertise closer to weapon systems, production realities, and sustainment challenges. This enables more consistent oversight, faster issue resolution, and better integration across engineering, quality, contracts, and logistics. Ultimately, the structure supports the department’s goal of delivering capability to the warfighter faster, with greater transparency, accountability and confidence in execution.
Q14. Why is DCMA vital now more than ever?
A14. The Department of War is operating in an environment defined by rapidly evolving threats, increasingly complex weapon systems, and heightened expectations for speed and accountability. As the department advances new acquisition approaches focused on agility, data-driven decision-making, and accelerated delivery of capability, the need for disciplined execution and trusted oversight becomes even more critical.
DCMA is vital because it provides the connective tissue between acquisition strategy and real-world execution. While acquisition reforms seek to move faster, DCMA ensures those efforts remain grounded in performance, quality, compliance and fiscal responsibility. The agency’s ability to identify risk early, provide actionable insight, and maintain trust with industry partners is essential to delivering capability to the warfighter without sacrificing accountability.
In short, as the Department of War pushes to innovate and adapt, DCMA’s role in ensuring what is contracted is what is delivered on time and at the right cost has never been more important.
Q15. What advice do you have for the workforce?
A15. Stay focused on the mission, care for one another, and embrace change with professionalism and integrity. The work matters, and the people doing it make the difference.
Q16. You worked in every region, DCMA International, and headquarters. What made you stay with the agency?
A16. Each assignment brought new challenges and perspectives, but what kept me at DCMA were the people and the mission. The dedication, expertise, and sense of purpose across the agency are unmatched and that commitment consistently drew me back.
Our mission, which is enhancing warfighter lethality, is an incredible calling. It is an honor beyond measure to serve knowing that our work protects those who serve our nation.