Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall unveiled two high-priority programs that will be funded with new authority that bypasses the traditional lengthy budget process.
First and foremost is resilient position, navigation, and timing capabilities, as well as command, control, and communications (C3) battle management to indicate moving targets, Kendall told the Senate Armed Services Committee on April 16. .
New authority granted in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2024 allows the Pentagon to spend up to $100 million outside of the budget passed by Congress to begin developing emergency capabilities. Although the law applies to all services, Kendall and his team came up with the idea and pushed hard for its adoption.
“DAF deeply appreciates the ‘quick start’ provisions in the FY24 NDAA and intends to take full advantage of this opportunity to save valuable time,” said Air Force Chief of Staff David Kendall. – Gen. W. Allbin, Chief of Space Operations, said. B. Chance Saltzman wrote in written testimony to the SASC:
Kendall, the former Pentagon’s top weapons purchaser, has expressed frustration that programs must first go into the defense budget and take years to get started, making budget tight even under the best of circumstances. It will begin in the next financial year. The current budget was passed six months late, forcing the government to operate under a continuing resolution as a stopgap measure.
“Thanks to Congressional support, this effort marks a pivotal moment in leveraging the success of rapid authorization and advancing our national security goals with unprecedented speed and efficiency.” Kendall he said in a press release. “Quick Starts launch initiatives aimed at developing solutions to emerging problems and ensure rapid progress from concept to implementation.”
Kendall’s original proposal called for up to $300 million for emergency programs, but Congress ultimately approved up to $100 million for each service. But Kendall and other military officials say this mandate is not about maximizing funding, but rather allowing early development work and evaluation at a relatively low cost, significantly less than waiting the entire budget cycle. It emphasizes that it has the potential to save a lot of time. Programs announced as part of Quick Start are likely to be included in the 2026 budget.
The Secretary of Defense must approve the program after each service submits a detailed proposal on how the program will work and why it needs to act quickly. The service will then require him to move the program from Quick Start to the regular acquisition process within one year.
There are few details about new programs or initiatives. It was not disclosed how much funding was allocated for each new program, and Kendall outlined his capabilities. However, the Secretary believed that improvements in combat management were needed and appointed C3BM Emperor, Brig. CG General Luke Cropsey to accelerate and streamline branch efforts. Meanwhile, the rest of the military relies on precision, navigation and timing systems to conduct day-to-day operations, making them potentially attractive targets for China and Russia in a conflict.
“We selected these projects because we recognized their potential to benefit the joint force and the nation, and we ensured that the Secretary of Defense and Deputy Secretary of Defense expedited their review and approval and that this authority “We are grateful that it took less than four months to enact the first project,” Kendall said in the release.
