What Happened
Acquisition Reform Success Depends on Leadership Decisions
The new Portfolio Acquisition Executives (PAEs) have the power to launch sustainable reform in defense acquisition, shifting the focus from procedural compliance to mission accomplishment, according to Timothy Cooke in this op-ed. The PAEs must provide top cover for contracting officers and refocus performance metrics to measure mission results. This change may be facilitated by Section 1802 of the fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, which makes PAEs responsible for capability delivery across a portfolio. The article was first reported by Breaking Defense.