The Department of War has finalized the realignment of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency and the Defense Technology Security Administration under the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment, or USW(A&S).
What Is the Purpose of Realigning DSCA, DTSA Under the USW(A&S) Office?
DOW said Tuesday the restructuring aims to consolidate acquisition, sustainment, security cooperation, defense sales, industrial base policy and arms transfer responsibilities under a single organizational authority to strengthen the U.S. industrial base and facilitate burden-sharing with allies and partners.
The realignment, which supports the National Defense Strategy, also intends to establish a clearer line of authority for executing defense sales and arms transfers.
The department stated that bringing DSCA and DTSA under USW(A&S) will integrate technology security considerations earlier in the acquisition lifecycle while improving demand forecasting for defense needs of the U.S. and its allies and accelerating the delivery of capabilities to warfighters.
What Did USW(A&S) Michael Duffey Say About the Realignment?
USW(A&S) Michael Duffey, a 2026 Wash100 awardee, said the reorganization supports President Trump’s America First Arms Transfer Strategy.
The president on Friday signed an executive order to implement a strategy designed to ensure that future arms sales prioritize U.S. interests by using foreign purchases and capital to build U.S production and capacity and strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base.
“This realignment will increase and accelerate the delivery of lethal weapons and advanced capabilities to our allies and partners, empowering them to shoulder a greater share of their self-defense. By unifying our arms transfer enterprise with our acquisition system, we will move with the purpose and speed required to strengthen our alliances and ensure the United States remains the partner of choice in global arms sales,” added Duffey.
How Is the Pentagon Reshaping the Defense Innovation Ecosystem?
The realignment of DSCA and DTSA comes as the Pentagon undertakes broader structural changes across the department’s innovation enterprise.
In January, DOW announced efforts to transform and unify its innovation ecosystem to accelerate the delivery of advanced technological capabilities to warfighters. As part of that initiative, the department designated the Defense Innovation Unit and the Strategic Capabilities Office as field activities to streamline innovation efforts.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth, a 2026 Wash100 awardee, recently issued a memo calling for the establishment of three distinct program components to transform Advana into a platform to harness the department’s data assets and support warfighting, intelligence and enterprise missions.
