The general running Space Force acquisition says the service’s sweeping reform is going well so far, but he is watching to ensure the transformation does not break program execution.
Lt. Gen. Philip Garrant, commander of Space Systems Command, told Air & Space Forces Magazine in an interview published Aug. 6 that realigning thousands of people into nine mission-focused portfolio acquisition executives carries risk.
“Over the next year, as we realign people with the new portfolios, and there’s some instances where we did a lot of combining from different organizations with different processes and different cultures, and we’re really trying to hire a lot more people, I want to make sure that we don’t take our eye off the program execution,” Garrant said.
The Space Force is enacting reforms tied to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s November acquisition transformation strategy, with a November 2027 deadline to fully operationalize the new structure. The service finalized its nine portfolio executives in mid-June.
Under the changes, SSC is realigning unit manning documents, standing up a capability trade council to negotiate requirements, and shrinking its headquarters while pushing finance and contracting staff into the portfolios. Garrant stressed the moves are about where people sit, not job losses.
The service is also pressing Congress for portfolio-level budget authority that would let program leaders shift funding as threats evolve. Lawmakers have been hesitant to grant that unprecedented flexibility.
Garrant argued the flexibility would speed the service up when requirements change, and called it important given the size of the fiscal 2027 budget. He said the portfolio executives would especially value the ability to move money between programs.
The reform push follows early wins the Space Force cites, including rapid fielding of the Remote Modular Terminal satellite communications jammer and the Deep-Space Advanced Radar Capability.
