Army streamlines bureaucracy, realigns acquisition offices, and empowers leaders to accelerate delivery of cutting-edge technologies to the joint force
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Army is undertaking a sweeping transformation of its acquisition process, designed to dramatically accelerate the delivery of critical warfighting capabilities to Soldiers. Recognizing that current acquisition processes are hampered by bureaucracy and outdated requirements, the Army is implementing significant structural and procedural changes to prioritize speed, accountability and delivery.
The most significant change is the identification of six Portfolio Acquisition Executives. Each PAE will own a comprehensive “capability area” aligned to the emerging Army Warfighting Concept. The six PAE organizations are: Fires; Maneuver Ground; Maneuver Air; Command and Control and Counter Command and Control; Agile Sustainment and Ammo; and Layered Protection and CBRND.
This shift makes a single leader accountable for all aspects of that capability area, including requirements, science and technology, contracting, acquisition, testing, programming, sustainment, and international sales. Less focus on individual programs, but an increased focus on capabilities. With the alignment of the capability portfolios under PAEs, the Army is restructuring the Program Executive Offices to better nest capabilities.
“Under the current fragmented process, accountability is distributed across multiple organizations and functions, creating misalignment between critical stakeholders,” said Brent Ingraham, the Army’s Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology; and Army Acquisition Executive. “Aligning this reform with operational concepts better postures the Army to deliver capabilities our Soldiers need without delay.”
Additionally, the Army is streamlining its contracting processes through the lifecycle of the materiel process – just one example of focused outcomes over processes within the new PAE structure. Each PAE will have an embedded Senior Contracting Official with the authority to award contracts quickly, eliminating bottlenecks and simplifying the process for industry. The Army plans to continue to leverage flexible contracting tools like Other Transaction Authorities and commercial solutions where applicable. This creates fewer bottlenecks and clearer entry points for industry.
“Consolidating functions under a single, accountable leader will streamline decision-making and remove barriers. It will empower leaders to take calculated risk where appropriate, delivering capabilities faster and more effectively,” said Ingraham. “All acquisition authorities will remain intact.”
The Army began implementing the iterative PAE construct in early October and will achieve initial operating capability in January 2026. All PAEs will be dual support, reporting to the U.S. Army's newly activated Transformation and Training Command, or T2COM, for Army requirements generation, and to the Assistant Secretary of Army (Acquisition Logistics and Technology) for acquisition and materiel development.
“Incremental change is not sufficient to match the rate of change in our operating environment. The deliberate partnering of our seasoned operational and acquisitions leaders will enable continuous transformation at the pace of relevance,” Gen. David Hodne, commanding general of T2COM.
To build the team, each PAE will include organizations in direct support from key stakeholders across the Army, ensuring a unified and collaborative approach to achieving mission success.
“Additionally, we are launching the Pathway for Innovation and Technology, or PIT, driving innovation, streamlining processes, and accelerating technology development from concept to prototype, and to full-scale implementation,” said Ingraham.
Reporting directly to ASA(ALT), the PIT operates under a synchronized framework to deliver advanced capabilities, strengthen the industrial base, integrate Soldier feedback, and enhance readiness at the speed of relevance.
“Adopting a venture capitalist mindset, the PIT focuses on broad technology scouting, calculated risk-taking, and scaling the most promising solutions to meet critical Army priorities,” said Ingraham.
The Army is committed to transforming acquisition into an outcome-driven enabler to ensure rapid and continuous modernization of key capabilities across all domains.
Social Sharing