Thomas Ainsworth, acting assistant secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration, highlighted the Space Force’s sweeping acquisition reforms successes amid the ongoing acquisition transformation, including enhanced commercial partnerships and the delivery of warfighter capabilities designed to maintain U.S. superiority in space.
The Space Force completed the initial acquisition transformation implementation plan with the designation of the nine Portfolio Acquisition Executives.
“Our nine PAEs are armed with the authority, resources, and talent to make decisions and be held accountable, not just manage programs,” Ainsworth noted, explaining that system-level requirements and over 90 percent of non-restricted contracting authorities have been delegated down to the PAE level.
The shift actively prioritizes minimum viable products over perfection, fundamentally breaking down barriers to embrace rapid iteration and commercial innovation.
Ainsworth also underscored the Space Force’s increasingly deep integration with the commercial space industrial base, noting the Service’s execution of the Secretary of War’s mandate to pursue commercial solutions as a first option.
Since February 2024, 170 companies have secured $2.8 billion in private capital, validating the SpaceWERX model of utilizing government funds to attract venture investment. This, along with nearly 20 new strategic funding increases over the same two years, shows that partnering with early-stage commercial innovation is actively transitioning into defense-relevant operational capabilities.
“The strength of our space industrial base comes from the speed, innovation, and scale of both our traditional defense primes and the vibrant commercial space companies,” said Ainsworth.
This commercial-first mindset and the ability to capitalize on innovative technology is generating unprecedented results. Over the last six months alone, the Space Force executed major strategic program pivots and high-value contract awards encompassing more than 35 contracts totaling $53 billion in ceiling value.
Successes include leveraging commercial trades for domain awareness via RG-XX, strengthening missile warning ground and space architectures, and approving the Counter Communications System Meadowlands jammer, which enables operators to control 300 percent more simultaneous missions to disrupt adversary communications. Additionally, the recent SDANet contract enables deploying, upgrading, and securing resilient mesh networking for Space Domain Awareness sensors.
In addition to the launch of Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program 7 and 8, and Rocket Systems Launch Program’s STP-29A, the Space Force has operationally accepted two payloads for the Enhanced Polar System-Recap, the Ground-Based Operational Surveillance System, and the upgraded Early Warning Radars.
Ainsworth concluded with a direct charge to industry partners:
“PAEs enable the U.S. Space Force to speed up our ability to acquire and deliver on accelerated timelines and at speed relevant to warfighter needs. By streamlining requirements, we can capitalize on commercial innovation to field competitive and resilient space capabilities to meet evolving national security challenges.”