The Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Acquisition, Technology & Logistics) directed the redesignation of all Air Force Program Executive Officers (PEOs) as Portfolio Acquisition Executives (PAEs), effective 4 July 2026. This action continues implementation of the Department of the Air Force’s transition to the Warfighting Acquisition System and aligns acquisition authority and accountability at the portfolio level.
As part of this transition:
- All references to Program Executive Officers (PEOs) within the Modernization Process Model (MPM) will be synonymous to Portfolio Acquisition Executives (PAEs). Once relevant policy changes, we will replace the term “PEOs” with “PAEs”.
- The memorandum delegates Decision Authority (DA), including Milestone Decision Authority (MDA), to the assigned PAEs for acquisition programs, with specified exceptions for designated SAE Special Interest Programs, ACAT ID programs, and programs for which the Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager–Critical Major Weapon Systems serves as the Decision Authority.
- As policy evolves to document expansions for PAE authority, the MPM will incorporate process and organizational changes.
