David Van Buren, the Air Force’s acquisition executive, is stepping down, said a senior Pentagon acquisition official on Monday. “David’s been a great colleague for me for the last two years. I’ve learned an enormous amount from him. He’s a true professional and he’s really going to be missed in the department,” stated Frank Kendall, acting undersecretary of defense for acquisition, during an address in Washington, D.C. Kendall said Air Force Secretary Michael Donley informed him of Van Buren’s departure on Feb. 3. Kendall credited Van Buren with providing “great service to the Air Force and the Department of Defense.” Van Buren has been USAF’s acquisition boss since April 2009 and, before that, was the principal deputy acquisition leader for a year. He is expected to vacate the post at the end of March and return to private industry.
Anduril and General Atomics will develop their Collaborative Combat Aircraft for the Air Force, beating out Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, the service announced on April 24. But any of the non-selected companies can compete to actually manufacture the eventual design, the Air Force said.