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Official outlines AF acquisition priorities during Tinker visit

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  • By John Parker
  • Staff Writer
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  The assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition recently said he is "blown away" by the quality of Air Force Sustainment Center operations at Tinker AFB.

Dr. William A. LaPlante spoke to a packed Tinker Auditorium Feb. 25, praising AFSC employees and military members for their sustainment work under AFSC Commander Lt. Gen. Bruce Litchfield.

"I actually think that if more people got out of Washington and came here and looked at what you all are doing, I think it would change some of the stale debates we're having in Washington about commercial versus organic and about what the government can do when it puts its mind to it," Dr. LaPlante said.

"Just incredible work you guys are doing. I really sincerely mean that."
Secretary LaPlante oversees Air Force research, development and acquisition involving programs with a portfolio of approximately $32 billion a year.

Dr. LaPlante's talk focused on the Air Force's five acquisition priorities that are designed to cut costs, improve production and advance technological superiority.
The first is a focus on the Air Force's top programs, which include the Long Range Strategic Bomber under development, the F-35 Lightning II fighter and the new KC-46A refueling tanker. The KC-46's depot maintenance home will be built north of Bldg. 9001 for operations set to begin in 2018. 

Dr. LaPlante said wiring issues with the KC-46 caused the program's schedule to tighten. However, 18 tankers are still on schedule for delivery in 2016, he said.

Another priority for Pentagon officials is a more transparent relationship with industry, Dr. LaPlante said. The Air Force and industry share concerns about the length of time to finalize contracts, encouraging new ideas and other issues, he said.

Cost-saving initiatives such as "Bending the Cost Curve" and "Better Buying Power" helped lead to the creation of a new business analytics office at the Pentagon, the secretary said. Its one staff member, so far, tracks DOD spending, such as how many computers the department is buying, and looks for savings, he said.

"This one person has already identified about $200 million in potential savings on how we buy IT," the secretary said.

The Air Force's overall cost-cutting measures have saved more money, Dr. LaPlante said.

"We're still working through how much money it is, but I'm going to give you a conservative estimate. I think already we have found about $2 billion of real savings," the secretary said. "This is real and many of you are doing this."

To spur technology advances, Dr. LaPlante said the Air Force Research Laboratory will soon be announcing the Air Force Technology Challenge. Industry and academia will be invited to submit ideas for a mid-size turbine engine within a certain class of power to weight ratio to power drones. The best idea will win $2 million in prize money.

Called "challenge-based acquisition," the new capability would hit a "sweet spot" for engines that would apply to multiple platforms, the secretary said.

"Whoever pulls this thing off, it's going to be a pretty important capability," Dr. LaPlante said.

Dr. LaPlante also spoke about the budgeting process underway for the start of the next fiscal year on Oct. 1. He said he expects the cost-cutting Budget Control Agreement, aka the sequester, to continue to be a factor.

"Our assumption, unfortunately, is that we're going to return to that," Dr. LaPlante said.

"I'd like to be wrong. I hope I'm wrong, but I don't see the politics of it being resolved.

"If what you're interested in is in the BCA budget, you're probably fine. If what you're interested in is not in the BCA budget, but the president's budget, I'd worry. It's that simple."

He said the national security establishment, however, recognizes that the Air Force holds some of the key capabilities for the future, "whether it's global reach, global strike, mobility, space or cyber."

"If you look at the world, every time you look at it, you say the Air Force is going to be in the middle of that problem ... so it's a very exciting time in the Air Force."