HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. -- As Air Force reshapes its acquisition enterprise to deliver capabilities faster, leaders here say the transition to portfolio acquisition executive structures is already accelerating decision-making and increasing flexibility to support operational readiness.
The Hanscom Representatives Association hosted an event June 23 that gave deputy program executive officers at Hanscom AFB an opportunity to explain the transition from a centralized acquisition model to one focused on speed and adaptability to compete with near-peer adversaries.
“This is a cultural shift,” said Col. William Collins, deputy PEO for Electronic Systems Directorate. “Our focus is no longer on perfecting a process before acting. It’s about delivering capabilities to the warfighter faster, making informed decisions at the right level and ensuring our forces have what they need.”
One of the more significant changes is the delegation of enterprise-level acquisition authorities to PAEs.
“We have contracting delegation. We had a recent contract award that our chief of contracts newly had the decision authority for, saving weeks of staffing and briefing time,” said Jeremy Thiele, deputy PEO for Cyber and Networks Directorate. “We have the potential for multiple budget line items to be brought down to one.”
Acquisition leaders said the new structure also provides greater decision authority at lower levels, allowing organizations to accept measured risk while rapidly evolving mission requirements.
“Previously, there was a fully fleshed-out plan and we were executing it,” said Collins. “Now the mindset is, ‘We’ll figure out a 100% solution over time. Give me a 75 to 80% solution and we’ll determine how to move forward.’”
Collins contrasted that approach with a more traditional acquisition model that often prioritized exhaustive planning over speed.
“The old-school mindset was that 30 to 45 days from flash to bang to award an urgent requirement was good enough,” he said. “Now, that’s simply not good enough. We must act proactively to ensure the bureaucracy is no longer slowing us down.”
As Hanscom AFB organizations continue their own transitions, leaders are closely monitoring lessons learned from early adopters across the acquisition enterprise.
The Command, Control, Communications and Battle Management organization transitioned to the PAE structure late last year and is among the organizations both directorates are watching closely.
“C3BM is a large organization, and we are looking at what they are doing,” said Thiele. “We are looking at what is working and what is not working. It’s not about just watching. It’s about applying what will work for us as well.”
Beyond organizational changes, Thiele said maintaining strong partnerships with industry remains critical to success.
“We are always open to ideas,” he said. “We are open to what industry has that might be a blind spot for us. We are open to suggestions on how to communicate so we are in better partnership.”