Gen. Norton Schwartz, Air Force Chief of Staff, told attendees at the DOD Acquisition Insight Days April 21 in Dayton, Ohio, that service acquisition professionals must ensure that bidding and acquisition are “perfecto,” reports the Dayton Daily News. Emphasizing the failed KC-X aerial refueling aircraft replacement program, Schwartz said, “What we’ve had over the last couple of years hasn’t put America’s warfighter in a better position.” He said it’s vital for government and industry to improve their communication, asserting that the key to less problematic acquisition programs is to ensure “there are no surprises, no misunderstandings—at least at the strategic level.” In other coverage of the three-day event sponsored by the Defense Acquisition University Alumni Association, the Dayton Business Journal reports that Schwartz praised the service’s acquisition workforce but said that the dearth of major contracts likely had produced an environment in which “there has been more friction than [is] healthy.” He called upon the Air Force acquisition corps to be “innovative and unorthodox” in the face of a dwindling defense budget. In other words, he wants them to “use their brains” to enable Air Force programs to survive inevitable protests.
US Space Command Should Always Be Led by a Guardian
Sept. 12, 2026
General Stephen Whiting took command of U.S. Space Command in January 2024, and if customary three-year tenures hold, his tour would end in January 2027. The question now before the President and Senate is who should follow him? Whoever they choose, it has to be a Guardian—and so should every successor…
