The Air Force thinks it ought to be the executive agent for unmanned aerial vehicle acquisition, Lt. Gen. David Deptula argues, because it has a “proven record of success” with them. Deptula, who is USAF’s intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance leader, said Friday during an Air Force-sponsored seminar in Washington, that there are three main reasons that executive agency makes sense. One is to provide the “greatest ISR/UAV product” for airmen, sailors, soldiers, and marines. Second is to save money and be efficient through “unified procurement. Lastly, the idea “champions interoperability by creating an agency with the authority to synchronize architectures, datalinks, and radios.” Deptula acknowledged that this is not the Air Force’s first run at this approach and that it was rejected in favor of creating the Joint UAV Center of Excellence. However, he argues that the center lacks any of the authority and clout needed to be effective in orchestrating UAV acquisition.
If the Air Force is in line for a big budget bump from President Donald Trump’s proposed $1.5 trillion defense budget in 2027, the head of Air Combat Command said he would make aircraft spare parts his top spending priority—but cautioned that more money to buy parts won’t equal a…
