Will Roper, the U.S. Air Force’s acquisition head and a three-time Wash100 Award recipient, has said the service plans to begin the live operations for the Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS) by 2021, Federal News Network reported Wednesday.
Roper, who serves as the Air Force’s assistant secretary for acquisition, technology and logistics, said in a memo obtained by the publication that ABMS is slated to enter a demonstration-deployment phase under the USAF Rapid Capabilities Office’s oversight.
RCO’s responsibilities will include developing a work breakdown framework, consolidating baselines and coordinating funding trades “when there’s not enough funding to do everything,” he said at a recent virtual roundtable.
“This will be something new, and something that’s new like ABMS probably needs a new construct for how we manage and execute,” said Roper.
Demonstration efforts over the past year have proven the command-and-control platform's capacity for integration with existing systems, according to the Air Force official.