Asked at the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing last week on the proposed Fiscal 2011 Air Force budget whether the service is on track to fulfill requirements under the Weapons Systems Acquisition Reform Act, signed into law last May, Air Force Secretary Michael Donley replied, “We’re making good progress.” Donley emphasized that the service has added nine program executive officers to its acquisition force “to reduce the span of control and give these senior officers more time to spend on fewer numbers of programs.” He also noted that USAF increased its acquisition force by 700 last year and planned to add “several thousands” over the next five years.
The Department of the Air Force has identified 50 programs that will make up the core of its contribution to the Pentagon’s joint all-domain command and control effort, branding them part of the “DAF Battle Network,” according to newly-released budget documents. The DAF Battle Network programs span multiple offices and agencies…