The Air Force is leading the Defense Department in acquisition reform, Pentagon acquisition chief Ash Carter said Wednesday. He praised USAF for establishing a program executive officer for the buying of services and said it has reaped huge savings in areas like performance-based logistics. “All the other services are following the Air Force’s lead,” he said. Moreover, USAF’s Acquisition Improvement Program—launched in the wake of the collapsed KC-X and CSAR-X programs—is a model that Carter said “I encourage the other components to emulate.” He also had high praise for David Van Buren, USAF’s acting acquisition executive. Carter said Van Buren was instrumental in helping the Office of the Secretary of Defense department-wide efficiency efforts.
Northrop Grumman test fired its newest solid rocket motor Dec. 4, part of an internally funded effort to rapidly design and build SRMs using advanced manufacturing techniques.
