Acquisition leaders stress mission, speed and risk to reshape acquisition culture

Senior acquisition officials and Department of the Air Force leaders used a high-profile panel at the 2026 Air and Space Forces Association Air, Space and Cyber Conference on Sept. 15 to press for an acquisition culture that prizes operational impact over traditional program milestones.

The “Sustaining Forces Through Acquisition and Innovation” discussion featured Gen. Dale White, director, Critical Major Weapon Systems for the Department of War; Dr. Erich Hernandez-Baquero, assistant secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration; and William Bailey, performing the duties of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics.

All three urged shifting metrics and mindsets toward fielding capability that matters in the fight, faster. “We need to shift the focus to mission outcomes,” Bailey said. Rather than treating design reviews or test gates as ends in themselves, panelists said those steps should be judged by how they contribute to real-world effects.

In space, where missions, technologies and threats change rapidly, Hernandez-Baquero said speed and agility must anchor the Space Force’s acquisition overhaul. “We’re living in a very different environment,” he said, noting the service is aligning Portfolio Acquisition Executives around missions and empowering leaders to deliver against them.

White said operating on a wartime footing should reinforce that approach, reframing how the department views risk and decision-making. He urged program leaders to accept prudent risks to achieve outcomes, while maintaining professional rigor. “Fail forward, you don’t fail recklessly,” White said.

Risk management, the panelists argued, should be a core responsibility, not an afterthought. Bailey cautioned against waiting for perfect requirements or new resources before acting. “If I have a problem, I need to move out on it,” he said. Senior leaders, they added, must clear obstacles and delegate authority so teams can move with urgency—and teams must use that authority.

To accelerate technology transition, Hernandez-Baquero announced the Space Force will establish a Technology Portfolio Executive who will report directly to him and serve as a peer to the service’s Portfolio Acquisition Executives. The role will focus on spotting promising technologies and building pathways to move them into acquisition portfolios at speed and scale.

Speed will also require earlier, tougher choices, White said, to avoid stalling technologies between prototypes and production. “We can’t carry everything to prototype. We can’t carry everything to production,” he said, arguing leaders must prioritize capabilities with the greatest mission value and ensure industry can manufacture them at the required rate.

Strengthening the defense industrial base is part of that equation, the panelists said. White underscored that deterrence hinges on both advanced tech and the capacity to produce it. Hernandez-Baquero pointed to efforts to give industry steadier demand signals—such as multiyear procurements—while expanding avenues for commercial solutions.

They also called for a more collaborative, less transactional relationship with industry. Bailey challenged companies to align their business models with the department’s push for greater speed, scale and resilience. “We are sending out the largest signal for change that I’ve seen in my entire career,” Bailey said. “We need you to meet us there.”

Ultimately, panelists said, success will come when these principles—mission understanding, subject-matter expertise, active risk management and empowered execution—become everyday habits across the force. Hernandez-Baquero urged acquisition professionals to start with a clear articulation of the outcome their capability will deliver. “If you don’t know the answer to that, start asking questions up your chain and work it,” he said.