Acquisition reform ‘necessary’ but ‘not sufficient,’ U.S. Space Force official says
AIAA ASCEND, Washington, D.C. — The Pentagon’s push to accelerate acquisition is “an absolute necessary condition,” Space Force Brig. Gen. Nick Hague said here today, but that effort alone is “not sufficient.”
Hague, assistant deputy chief of space operations for operations, told attendees that acquisition reform “doesn’t get at requirements reform and capability delivery reform.”
These broader changes focus on “how do we identify a gap” in the Space Force’s abilities, he said. Then, “how do we define the requirement for that, and ultimately, how do I make sure that that gap is filled with a capability that the acquisitions community has delivered that is combat-credible?”
“That’s what we’re transforming now,” Hague added. “Inside the operations community, it’s how do I evaluate those capabilities? How do I work together with the acquisitions community and embed an understanding of what I’m trying to deliver?”
He told the audience the “idea is I need to deliver incremental capability, and I need to iterate it on it quickly, and so to do that I have to have a very clear vision of what it is that I’m delivering.”
Hague also called the “drastic increase” in Space Force funding in the fiscal year 2027 budget request “a necessary one.” The Pentagon is seeking just over $71 billion for the service, up from the $31.6 billion it received in fiscal 2026.
Hague said the service’s size is “insufficient for the sheer scope of the missions we’re being asked to do. If we’re going to field the new space systems our nation requires, we need the personnel to drive them.”
