DoD to Temporarily Oversee Selected Air Force Programs
March 28, 2005

The Department of Defense announced today that to ensure continuity of program oversight during this time of transition with a new acting secretary of the Air Force, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Michael Wynne has designated all major defense acquisition programs managed by the Air Force and designated ACAT (acquisition category) 1C programs to temporarily be placed under his authority.

These programs will now be designated as ACAT 1D programs. This now means that Wynne will be the milestone decision authority for these programs. Twenty-one Air Force programs ( http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Mar2005/d20050328USAFACAT.pdf )affected by this decision. ACAT 1D program decisions are approved at the USD(AT&L;) level. ACAT 1C are usually approved at the service acquisition executive level.

There is no set timeline for this temporary designation and the AT&L; staff will work closely with acting Secretary of the Air Force Michael L. Dominguez and the Air Force acquisition force until oversight of these programs is returned to the Air Force. Wynne stresses this action is not a punitive one, rather it is meant to assist the Air Force by overseeing and providing advice on important Air Force programs during a time of transition. He will rely on the Air Force acquisition corps to continue their high quality effort.

Wynne has also asked the Air Force to provide, within the next 15 days, a list of all significant program and milestone decisions expected in the next six months regarding these programs.

The Departments review and approval process for large weapons system programs is documented in DoD Directive 5000.1 ( http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf2/d50001p.pdf) and DoD Instruction 5000.2 ( http://akss.dau.mil/dag/DoD5002/Subject.asp).