Space Force Creates New Portfolio Acquisition Executive Roles in Acquisition Overhaul

The U.S. Space Force is moving ahead with a sweeping reorganization of how it buys satellites and related systems as part of a broader Pentagon effort to speed procurement and make better use of commercial technology.

At the center of the shift is a new layer of leadership known as Portfolio Acquisition Executives or PAEs. Instead of managing individual programs these officials will oversee groups of systems tied to specific missions and will have authority to shift funding adjust requirements and cancel underperforming efforts across their portfolios.

The change marks a break from the current structure where program managers typically oversee single platforms with limited ability to coordinate decisions across related systems.

Thomas Ainsworth performing the duties of the assistant secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration outlined the next phase of the overhaul March 17 at the McAleese Defense Programs Conference.

PAEs are really set up to be able to deliver their capabilities to make informed decisions on their requirements and their programmatics Ainsworth said.

The Space Force is standing up four new portfolios: infrastructure; battle management command control communications and space intelligence; satellite communications and positioning navigation and timing; and missile warning and tracking. They follow earlier portfolios focused on launch and space-based sensing and targeting.

The missile warning and tracking portfolio is expected to be among the largest combining legacy geostationary satellites with newer constellations in low and medium Earth orbit. The infrastructure portfolio will absorb testing and training programs and provide shared resources across the enterprise.

Companies pitching new technologies will increasingly be directed to the portfolio level. The answer is going to be go talk with the PAE Ainsworth said.