The Air Force’s Fiscal 2013 budget request for science and technology is about $2.2 billion, including about $200 million to support devolved programs such as high-energy laser efforts, said Steven Walker, the Air Force’s deputy assistant secretary for science, technology, and engineering. That’s a $64 million decrease, or roughly 2.8 percent, from Fiscal 2012, he told members of the House Armed Services Committee’s emerging threats and capabilities panel last week. “This reflects a more modest reduction than that taken across the total Air Force budget and indicates the strong support for science and technology from our leadership in this challenging fiscal environment,” said Walker. He outlined the service’s four S&T priorities: supporting the current fight while advancing breakthrough technologies for tomorrow; executing a balanced, integrated S&T program responsive to Air Force core functions like projecting power in anti-access/area-denial environments; retaining and shaping critical competencies to address the full range of S&T products and support; and ensuring S&T efforts remain focused on the service’s highest priority needs. (Walker’s prepared testimony)
Space Force leaders say that while they’re eager to implement the Pentagon’s newly announced acquisition transformation strategy, civilian personnel cuts and a prolonged government shutdown have depleted the acquisition and contracting workforce, adding to pressures on the cadre that could make it difficult to hit the ground running on reform.
