Agile Acquisition (December 2003): Air Force PEO realignment takes major steps forward.

The realignment of the Air Force PEO structure took major steps forward in December with the combination of two existing PEO offices and moves of two PEO offices from the Pentagon to Air Force product centers in Ohio and Massachusetts.

The moves that occurred were:

The combination of PEO/Fighter-Bomber (PEO/FB) and PEO/Airlift and Tankers (PEO/AT) into a new PEO/Aircraft (PEO/AC) with responsibility for all Air Force aircraft acquisition programs except the F/A-22 Raptor and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The new PEO/AC is Lt. Gen. William Looney, who also serves as the commander of Aeronautical Systems Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.

PEO/Command and Control and Combat Support (PEO/C2 & CS) moved from Washington to Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass. The new PEO/C2 & CS is Lt. Gen. Charles Johnson, who also serves as commander of Electronic Systems Center.

A new PEO office, PEO/F/A-22, stood up in Washington. The PEO is Maj. Gen. Rick Lewis, formerly the PEO/FB. In October, the PEO/Weapons moved to Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. Maj. Gen. Robert Chedister is the PEO/WP and continues to serve as the commander of the Air Armaments Center there. The Air Force PEO/Services remains in Washington, as does the PEO for the Joint Strike Fighter.

The PEOs who are dual-hatted as product center commanders, continue to report on acquisition execution to Dr. Marvin Sambur, assistant secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition. Sambur is the Service's senior acquisition executive for non-space programs. In their role as center commanders, they report to Gen. Gregory Martin, commander of Air Force Materiel Command. Each of the three product-center-based PEOs will have a deputy for acquisition (focused on program execution) and a deputy for support (focused on day-to-day operations of the product center).

Dr. James Roche, secretary of the Air Force, and Gen. John Jumper, Air Force Chief of Staff, announced the PEO realignment in July 2003. The plan to move the PEOs to the field is designed to put the top acquisition officials closer to the programs they oversee and to make clearer the lines of responsibility for program execution. By dual-hatting the PEOs as product center commanders, the Air Force is also placing program resources more directly under the control of those responsible for execution.

As part of the plan, the Air Force will, in 2004, realign under the PEOs all acquisition programs currently managed by Designated Acquisition Commanders at the Service's three air logistics center. This will free logistics centers commanders to focus more fully on sustainment issues.