Lt. Gen. Arnold Bunch Jr., military deputy at the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, last week affirmed the service’s commitment to speeding up the procurement process for space technologies in response to criticism from the chairman of the House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee, Space News reported Sunday.
Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., has repeatedly called out the U.S. Air Force for having a slow acquisition process for technologies related to its space mission, but Bunch disagreed, saying he was already seeing change in the form of delegation of authorities, the establishment of a space rapid capabilities office, and directives from Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson calling for the elimination of bureaucracy and the simplification of paperwork.
Bunch expressed confidence that such innovations “are the tip of the iceberg,” adding, “We need to demonstrate to Congressman Rogers that [we] can do those things, and show him so we can change his mind.”