The Department of the Air Force (DAF) manages the acquisition workforce as a whole in the U.S. Space Force (USSF) and the U.S. Air Force (USAF). The authors assess whether the DAF's current acquisition workforce management and development structures can meet the needs of both services. They pinpoint potential misalignments and make recommendations to address them.
Authors
Hanser, Lawrence M., McKernan, Megan, Cillo, Brady M., Keller, Kirsten M., Hill, Devon, Winston, Isabelle, Groeber, Ginger, Rohn, Laurinda L.
- Division
- RAND Project AIR FORCE Workforce, Development, and Health
- Pages
- 106
- Published in
- United States
- RAND Identifier
- RR-A2327-1
- RAND Type
- report
- Rights
- RAND Corporation
- Series
- Research Reports
- Source
- https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA2327-1.html
Table of Contents
- Can a DAF-Wide Approach to Talent Management Meet the Needs of the USSF and USAF Acquisition Workforce 1
- About This Report 3
- RAND Project AIR FORCE 3
- Acknowledgments 3
- Summary 5
- Issue 5
- Approach 5
- Key Findings 5
- Recommendations 6
- Contents 7
- Figures and Tables 9
- Figures 9
- Tables 9
- Introduction 11
- Background 11
- Air Force and Space Force Acquisition 13
- The Acquisition Workforce 16
- Study Objective and Approach 17
- Notes on Study Scope 19
- Structure of This Report 19
- The Department of the Air Force Acquisition Workforce 20
- Military Personnel 20
- Educational Attainment of the DAF Military Acquisition Workforce 22
- Civilian Personnel 22
- Educational Attainment of the DAF Civilian Acquisition Workforce 24
- Age of the DAF Civilian Acquisition Workforce 26
- Mix of Military Officers and Civilians in the DAF Acquisition Workforce 26
- Summary 27
- Acquisition Workforce Management and Development 28
- The Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act 28
- DoD Implementation 29
- DAF Implementation 30
- Workforce Development Methods 31
- Both Military and Civilian 31
- Military-Only 36
- Civilian-Only 38
- Summary 39
- Needs of the USSF Acquisition Workforce 40
- Foundational Acquisition Skills Are Similar Across the DAF 40
- USSF Stakeholders Identified Additional Characteristics Important for the USSF Acquisition Workforce 41
- Space-Specific Domain Knowledge and Expertise 41
- Technical Expertise and Advanced Degrees 42
- Experience with Space System Spending Profiles 42
- Knowledge and Skills in Risk Assessment and Management 43
- Knowledge and Skills to Acquire Systems More Rapidly 44
- Operational Experience 44
- Industry Experience 45
- Digital Skills 45
- Summary of Characteristics 46
- New USSF Talent Management Approaches May Have Implications for the Management and Development of the Acquisition Workforce 47
- More Deliberate Individual Development and Assignments 47
- Guardian First Approach 48
- Competencies as the Basis for Talent Management 48
- Greater Unification of Military and Civilian Members 49
- Continued Reliance on Outside Technical Talent 49
- More Flexible Tour Lengths 50
- DAF-Wide Approaches Can Meet Fundamental Acquisition Workforce Needs but Stakeholders Expressed Some Areas of Concern 50
- Summary 51
- Programmatic and Structural Options 52
- Programmatic Options 53
- Add Space-Specific DAU Credentials 53
- Add Space-Specific Courses 53
- Add Education in Risk Management and Taking Intelligent Risks 54
- Add Education in Digital Skills 55
- Add Opportunities for Experience with Industry 55
- Add Resources for Advanced Degree Opportunities 56
- Expand or Create New Programs for Operational Experience 57
- Tailor Materiel LeaderSenior Materiel Leader Criteria 58
- Tailor Civilian SelectionPromotion Criteria 58
- Tailor Criteria for Selective Education and Training Opportunities 59
- Increase Influence over DAWDA 59
- Enable More Flexible Tour Lengths 60
- Increase Individualized Guardian Development 60
- Structural Options 61
- Keep the Current SAFAQH Structure 61
- Create an SAFAQH Space Branch 61
- Create a Space Force Equivalent to SAFAQH to Manage the Space Force Military Acquisition Workforce 62
- Create SAFSQH to Manage the Space Force Military and Civilian Acquisition Workforce 63
- Summary 63
- Summary of Key Findings and Recommendations 64
- Summary of Key Findings 64
- Recommendations 68
- Review Implementation Considerations Associated with Each Option 70
- Assess Trade-Offs Associated with Structural Changes 71
- Reassess the Effectiveness of a DAF-Wide Structure in Future Years 71
- USSF Should Continue to Monitor Key Workforce Trends 72
- Improve Communication Across the DAF 72
- Interview Methodology 73
- Participants 73
- Interview and Analysis Approach 73
- Interview Topics 74
- Professional Certification Standards 76
- Additional Workforce Statistics 78
- Acquisition Officers 78
- Acquisition Civilians 80
- Evaluating the Options 87
- Space-Focused Education 90
- USSF Intermediate-Level Education 90
- USSF Senior-Level Education 90
- National Security Space Institute 91
- Air Force Institute of Technology 91
- Air Command and Staff College 92
- Naval Postgraduate School 93
- Abbreviations 94
- Bibliography 97
