Thomas Ainsworth (UD Air Force photo by Eric Dietrich)
WASHINGTON ― Department of the Air Force (DAF) acting space acquisition czar Thomas Ainsworth said today that work is not yet finished to sort Space Force programs into the new portfolio acquisition executive (PAE) structure mandated by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
“We’re not done yet. We’re still working it,” he told the State of the Space Industrial Base (SSIB) conference in New Mexico.
For example, he said that there has yet to be a decision which of the nine mission-oriented PAEs would be put in charge of programs exploring space debris mitigation.
The DAF, which oversees Space Force acquisition via Ainsworth’s shop, has officially announced six PAEs: Space Access; Space Based Sensing and Targeting; Infrastructure; Battle Management, Command, Control, Communication & Space Intelligence (BMC3I); Satellite Communication and Positioning, Navigation & Timing; and Missile Warning and Tracking. Ainsworth in March indicated that there would be at least three other PAEs set up to cover space control; electronic, cyber and orbital warfare; and integration.
