The Department of the Air Force (DAF) announced Thursday that it created seven new acquisition organizations as part of broader Pentagon procurement reforms directed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The move follows a Nov. 7 announcement by Hegseth outlining a Pentagon-wide acquisition overhaul. The Air Force changes are the first of several steps aimed at improving how the military buys capabilities.
“This transformation is a generational opportunity for the Department of the Air Force,” said Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink in a statement. “It enables us to holistically reform our enterprise – from requirements, to acquisition, to test – in order to support the rapid and efficient development of our warfighting capabilities in order to get the operators what they need when they need it.”
Hegseth’s plan calls for a broad overhaul of the Pentagon’s acquisition process to increase accountability, accelerate delivery of new capabilities, and foster innovation in emerging technologies. Under the reforms, portfolio acquisition executives (PAEs)will replace traditional program executive offices, with a single official overseeing all acquisition efforts within a mission area to better align individual programs with operational goals.
Air Force and Space Force transition to PAEs
On their part, the Air Force and Space Force will consolidate several existing program executive offices into seven portfolio acquisition executive offices aligned with specific mission areas.
At the same time, the DAF is reforming its oversight structure to speed decisions and expand industry partnerships, aiming to make the entire acquisition enterprise more agile and innovative.
The Air Force redesignated five program executive offices as PAEs. Those portfolios cover command, control, communications and battle management; fighters and advanced aircraft; nuclear command, control and communications; propulsion; and weapons.
William D. Bailey, who is performing the duties of assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics, said the redesignation pushes authority and accountability to the mission level and is intended to reduce administrative layers in the acquisition process.
“We are telling our leaders, ‘You own this mission set.’ For the Airman on the flight line, this means getting the tools they need before they become obsolete. This move unlocks their expertise, cuts through bureaucracy, and ensures our acquisition enterprise is fully integrated with the warfighter’s needs at all times,” Bailey said.
The Space Force designated two initial mission areas under PAEs: space access and space-based sensing and targeting.
Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy, acting assistant secretary of the Air Force for space acquisition and integration, said the service is focusing on shorter development cycles and greater use of commercially developed technology.
“Our ‘commercial first’ approach allows us to harness innovation in the private sector, getting cutting-edge technology into the hands of our Guardians at the speed of a startup, not a bureaucracy,” Purdy said. “This is how we maintain our edge.”
The Air and Space Forces are the latest Pentagon components to implement Hegseth’s reforms.
Following his November announcement, the Army overhauled its acquisition structure and created a new office to rapidly field emerging technologies. Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, chief of space operations, highlighted that the Space Force is also focusing on building a capable acquisition workforce and simplifying requirements to align with the new directives. In addition, the Navy and Marine Corps announced their intentions to establish a PAE dedicated to robotic and autonomous systems.