§1732 Portfolio Acquisition Executive

Summary

Creates a senior official called a portfolio acquisition executive who leads a group of related defense programs and controls their plans, budgets, and life‑cycle work. Program managers for those programs must report directly to that portfolio executive unless the department’s acquisition leader says otherwise (see 10 U.S.C. 1737). Each portfolio executive must report to the component or service acquisition executive, who picks them, watches their work, and decides their resources. Portfolio executives must make sure programs follow the goals of the defense acquisition system (see 10 U.S.C. 3102). They run the acquisition staff in their portfolio, apply Secretary of Defense policies, and coordinate with the service chief when changing requirements, performance or quantity goals, or readiness targets under section 118(c). They must work with users for feedback, give timely reports on cost, schedule, and performance to the service chief, Joint Staff, the Director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation, and others named by the Secretary, and use iterative development to modify or stop efforts that no longer meet joint requirements (see section 181) or that face big cost, technical, or schedule problems. They must work with mission engineering for cross‑service tech and prototype work, do good market research, and, where practical, favor prototype authorities under section 4022 and buying commercial items under chapter 247. The Secretary must give each portfolio executive dedicated staff and resources under their control (not matrixed or dual‑reporting unless the Secretary allows in writing), including people for contracting, cost estimating, finance, life‑cycle support, program management, engineering, testing, and other needed functions.