Bombs and Books: Building a Better Air Force Military Acquirer.

摘要

The Air Force (AF) develops some of the premier military business professionals in the world but it can do even better. It has to if its next generation of leaders is expected to effectively navigate the ever-evolving defense acquisition landscape while simultaneously ensuring the materiel readiness of the force. The notion that the AF, and the Department of Defense (DoD), should invest in the professionalism of its workforce is widely discussed and seldom criticized. Examples of recent deliberation are easy to find. Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Frank Kendall s 2013 Better Buying Power initiative (2.0) explicitly added improving the professionalism of the total acquisition workforce as one of the initiative s six main tenets. A recent Center for a New American Security (CNAS) report suggested that a separate career track be developed exclusively to incubate the most promising military business professionals. Even recent congressional testimony on the state of acquisition reform stressed the need for a skilled defense acquisition workforce. There is no doubt that enhancing the acquisition profession through personnel development is a DoD priority. The development of military acquirers, with their recognizably unique status, should be no exception.