March 3, 2023
Colloquium Topic: DoD Intermediate Force Capabilities: Bringing the Fight to the Gray Zone
The DoD's Joint Intermediate Force Capabilities Office (JIFCO) serves as the DoD's focal point for non-lethal weapons – which may be better described as Intermediate Force Capabilities (IFC). Our adversaries conduct aggressive activities below the level of armed conflict, also known as the Gray Zone. IFCs provide the Joint Force expanded options to reinforce deterrence and expand the range of options available to commanders while mitigating civilian harm and undesired damage to property. IFCs are a force multiplier and enable the Joint Force, along with our Allies and Partners, to campaign across the operational continuum and push back against Gray Zone activities while also maintaining credibility in information space.
Colloquium Speaker: Col. Wendell B. Leimbach Jr.
Col. Wendell B. Leimbach, Jr., USMC, was born and raised in Baltimore, MD, and graduated from Baltimore’s Friends High School in 1988. He graduated from the University of Delaware 1992 with a BS in Computer and Information Sciences and a minor in History. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps in July 1992 after completing Officer Candidate School. He was assigned as a Tank Officer and attended the Armor Officer Basic Course at Ft. Knox, KY in 1993.
As a lieutenant he served as a Tank Officer with the 2nd Tank Battalion, 2nd Marine Division in Camp Lejeune, NC, from 1993-1997. While there he served as the 2nd Platoon Commander, C Company and subsequently as the TOW Platoon Commander, H&S Company.
In 1997 then Capt Leimbach was assigned to his first tour with Marine Corps Systems Command (MCSC) in Quantico, VA as a project officer for the Program Manager for Tank Systems. Subsequently, in 1999 Capt Leimbach was sent to the Army Armor Captain’s Career Course (ACCC) at Ft. Knox, and then back to 2nd Tank Battalion at Camp Lejeune. While at 2nd Tank Battalion Capt Leimbach served as the D Company Commander and assistant operations officer, and as the H&S Company Commander.
From 2002-2004 Maj Leimbach was a student at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) in Monterey, CA where he received a Master’s Degree in Business Administration with a focus in Systems Acquisition Management. Upon graduation he was reassigned to MCSC and took on responsibilities as the Individual Armor and Load Bearing Team Leader for the Program Manager for Infantry Combat Equipment. While serving in that billet Maj Leimbach was selected as an Acquisition Professional Officer (8061) in the first year that the MOS was competitivelyoffered.
In 2006 Maj Leimbach was transferred to PM Tank Systems where he served as the M1A1 Project Officer and then as acting Program Manager. In 2007 he was selected to serve as the Program Manager for Tank Systems where he contributed to the fielding of the programmable 120mm Multi-Purpose High Explosive (MP-HE) main gun ammunition. In August of 2010 LtCol Leimbach was reassigned to the office of the Program Manager, Advanced Amphibious Assault, Program Executive Officer Land Systems where he served as the Deputy Director for the Marine Personnel Carrier Program until June of 2012.
From June 2012 to June 2013 LtCol Leimbach served as a Secretary of Defense Corporate Fellow with Accenture Federal Services in Washington, DC. In 2013 he was selected to be the DPM AAA, Stafford, VA where he supported the sustainment of the Marine Corps’ legacy Assault Amphibious Vehicle (AAV) fleet and the ACAT IC Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) program. From mid-2017 to June 2018 he served as the PM AAA. Col Leimbach was assigned as the Director of the JIFCO in October 2018.
Col Leimbach’s personal awards include the Army Achievement Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with gold star, Andrew J. Higgins Award for Acquisition Innovation and Excellence and the United States Cavalry and Armor Association Order of Saint George Bronze Medallion. He resides in Fredericksburg, VA with his wife and two children.