The Air Force sees the unmanned aerial vehicle executive agent concept as producing not only “resource efficiencies” but also a means to “improve the delivery of ISR information to America’s joint warriors on the ground, at sea, and in the air,” according to written testimony from Lt. Gen. David Deptula, intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance chief on the Air Staff. Deptula explained to the House Armed Services air and land forces panel last week that the Air Force believes DOD should “stand up an EA to achieve efficiencies in terms of consolidating different acquisition authorities—everything that goes along with procuring systems.” When the other service officials at the hearing asserted that they wouldn’t be able to get operational intelligence fast enough, Deptula told the panel that would be “a joint force commander issue.”
Pentagon leaders, eager to move fast and avoid pitfalls that have plagued defense acquisition in the past, are handing authorities and oversight for some of their biggest programs to officers outside the traditional structure. But the Air Force and Space Force four-stars given those responsibilities say they don’t intend their jobs to be a permanent change to the system.