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.
“Military history shows that the best defense is almost always a maneuvering offense supported by solid logistics. This was true for mechanized land warfare, air combat, and naval operations since World War II. It will also be true as the world veers closer to military conflict in space,” writes Aidan…