Air Force realigns program executive officers

  • Published
  • By Air Force Life Cycle Management Center Public Affairs

In the coming months, the Air Force will restructure portions of its acquisition mission area to better provide unsurpassed capabilities and support to the Joint Forces and international partners.

The Air Force Materiel Command’s Air Force Life Cycle Management Center will split Fighters and Bombers Directorate into a Fighters and Advanced Aircraft Directorate and a Bombers Directorate – both led by a general officer program executive officer, and the Tanker Directorate will return its three tanker program offices to the Mobility and Training Aircraft Directorate.

The organizational structures for AFMC’s Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center and Air Force Sustainment Center will remain unchanged.

“Changes to organizations are a natural part of how the acquisition community responds to defense priorities,” said Lt. Gen. Robert McMurry, AFLCMC commander. “This realignment brings two key benefits: It elevates attention on the nuclear enterprise and our Air Force Global Strike Command customer. Meanwhile, it also reflects better alignment of the preponderance of our mobility aircraft within Air Mobility Command under a single PEO.”

Some AMC platforms will remain under the PEO for Presidential and Executive Airlift, given the unique mission of these fleets.

“This change will be largely transparent to our most important resource – the people who are out there every day getting the job done,” McMurry said.

AFLCMC leaders are actively working to ensure that this transition is seamless to the workforce. Aside from realigning certain program offices into the changed PEO structure, no other significant changes are planned at this time as it relates to duties, work conditions, or other aspects of employee daily operations. Over the coming weeks and months, the final details will be addressed and announced to AFLCMC employees.

“AFMC continues to adapt our acquisition, technology and logistics support to our warfighters,” said Gen. Arnold W. Bunch Jr., AFMC commander. “The conditions are right for these PEO realignments, which focus our team’s ability to deliver, integrate and sustain capabilities in an era of increased global power competition.”

Under the reorganization:

-- PEO for Bombers will be led by Brig. Gen. John Newberry, based at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, and will include all current personnel and program execution responsibilities for the B-2 Spirit, B-52 Stratofortress and B-1 Lancer Program Offices. Additionally, Newberry will have organization, training and equipping responsibilities for the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office’s B-21 personnel assigned to the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center.

-- PEO for Fighters & Advanced Aircraft will be led by Brig. Gen. (S) Dale White, based at Wright-Patterson AFB, and will include all current personnel and program execution responsibilities for the A-10 Thunderbolt II, F-15 Eagle, F-16 Viper, F-22 Raptor, Attack Systems, Skyborg and Next-Generation Air Dominance Program Offices. Additionally, White will have organization, training and equipping responsibilities for the Joint Strike Fighter Program Office’s F-35 personnel assigned to the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center.

In the current structure, the PEO for Fighters and Bombers manages more than 4,500 aircraft, which is larger than all other air forces in the world. This reorganization elevates the emphasis on the Air Force Global Strike Command mission while maintaining senior officer focus on the diverse and expanding Fighter and Advanced Aircraft portfolio – integrating advanced aircraft activities with legacy activities to evolve our approach in building and sustaining our future fighter and advanced aircraft fleet.

Additionally, the Tanker Directorate will return its three tanker program offices to the Mobility and Training Aircraft Directorate to capitalize on mobility synergies and existing organizational efficiencies.

-- The air refueling tankers portfolio will be returned to the PEO for Mobility and Training Aircraft.

-- PEO for Mobility and Training Aircraft will continue to execute in this capacity, adding in the KC-135, KC-10, KC-46, and Open Skies Treaty Aircraft Recapitalization Program Offices.

These changes are expected to be implemented across the summer.