“We’re not done yet. We’re still working it,” said Department of the Air Force acting space acquisition czar Thomas Ainsworth, speaking plainly at the State of the Space Industrial Base conference in New Mexico about how the service is still sorting Space Force programs into a new portfolio structure ordered by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Thomas Ainsworth and the DAF’s ongoing portfolio work
Ainsworth, who leads the office that oversees Space Force acquisition within the Department of the Air Force (DAF), told the SSIB audience that the department has not completed decisions about which programs belong in each portfolio acquisition executive (PAE). He used the unfinished status to explain that some roles remain in flux — and that several assigned PAEs are still acting, not permanent.
Six PAEs announced; at least three more expected
The DAF has publicly announced six PAEs by mission name: 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 previously indicated in March that there would be at least three additional PAEs to cover space control; electronic, cyber and orbital warfare; and integration.
Ainsworth emphasized that “the majority of the PAEs that have been assigned right now are acting.” He identified two permanent PAEs by name: Shannon Pallone as permanent PAE for BMC3I, and Col. Corey Klopstein as permanent PAE for Infrastructure.
Unresolved: where space debris mitigation will sit
As a concrete example of work still in progress, Ainsworth said there has not yet been a decision on which of the nine mission-oriented PAEs will be put in charge of programs exploring space debris mitigation. That question remains open while the department completes its portfolio definitions and leadership assignments.
Authority model: "towers" and contract power at the PAE level
Ainsworth described the DAF’s approach to organizing PAEs as drawn from several models. “We’re looking at the best of those capabilities,” he said, naming the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), the Space Development Agency (SDA) and the Space Rapid Capabilities Office (Space RCO) as reference points for a “towers” of excellence structure. He said the DAF “ran down the list of all of the SDA authorities, all of the Space RCO authorities, all of the AFRCO [Air Force RCO] authorities, everything that the NRO does, and everything that we can do on the Title 10 side. And we streamline all of those, and then we distribute those to all of the PAEs.”
In one concrete redistribution of power, Ainsworth said “the chief of contracts for every PAE has 89 percent of all of the contract authority ― we lowered every single thing we possibly could under statute all the way down to the chief of contracts for every PAE.” The statement frames a clear intent to concentrate day‑to‑day contracting authority within each PAE.
Capability trade councils and the role of warfighters, intelligence, and testing
Each PAE head will chair a “capability trade council” that will include “warfighters in the room” representing the operations, intelligence and testing communities, Ainsworth said. He stressed that the DAF worked to ensure the new offices “work consistently” and “based on the same authorities” so that moving between PAEs will not require relearning processes or rules.
What this means for warfighters, program offices, and industry representatives
- Warfighters and operators: They will have formal representation on each PAE’s capability trade council, giving operations, intelligence and testing communities a seat at portfolio tradeoff and acquisition discussions.
- Program offices and contracting officials: Much of the contracting authority will be pushed down to PAE chiefs of contracts — Ainsworth said each chief of contracts holds 89% of contract authority — meaning program‑level decisions may move faster but will require PAEs to manage statutory limits carefully.
- Industry representatives: Ainsworth told the conference the DAF will publicly release the finalized PAE organization and leadership, a move industry attendees can expect “in the coming days,” clarifying who to engage as the PAEs transition from acting to permanent structures.
Ainsworth closed by promising public transparency once the portfolio design is finalized: “We’ll make sure we get a broad announcement out for all of the PAEs ― who’s leading them, and how we’re setting all of those up ― in the coming days.” That promise leaves the community a clear one‑sentence deliverable to watch for even as specific program assignments — including where debris mitigation will be managed — remain unsettled.
