DAYTON, Ohio (AFLCMC) — Speed, empowered decision-making and a warfighter mindset took center stage July 28 as William D. Bailey, performing the duties of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, addressed attendees during the second day of Life Cycle Industry Days 2026 at the Dayton Convention Center.
Bailey’s keynote focused on the implementation of the Acquisition Transformation Strategy and the cultural shift required to deliver critical capabilities to warfighters, faster.
“It is a privilege to be here today, standing alongside the military, civilian and industry professionals who shoulder the immense responsibility of the AFLCMC mission,” Bailey said. “From cradle to grave, you ensure that our aircraft, munitions and most complex digital systems are not just acquired, but are sustained and lethal at a moment's notice.”
At the core of Bailey’s keynote message was the idea that acquisition transformation is about more than changing processes. He stressed that it requires changing the way acquisition professionals think about their role in the fight.
For Bailey, that means adopting a warfighter mindset.
As the Department of the Air Force implements acquisition transformation, Bailey highlighted efforts to empower leaders at lower levels, delegating greater decision-making authority and remove layers of bureaucracy that can slow down delivery.
“We need an enterprise of integrated organizations and empowered personnel to seize opportunities and operate at the speed necessary to win,” Bailey said. “Accelerating those authorities to the field was essential. But we have already seen excellence, and not just from our PAEs. Members across DAF acquisitions have stepped up and embodied the acquisition warfighter mindset.”
The Acquisition Transformation Strategy, unveiled in November 2025, aims to reshape how the department develops requirements, manages programs and works with industry, placing greater emphasis on speed, flexibility and delivering operational capability.
For Bailey, moving faster does not mean sacrificing precision or accuracy. Instead, it means bringing the right subject matter experts (SMEs) together, empowering them to make decisions and synchronizing execution across the enterprise.
He illustrated that point by recalling an effort that required coordination between the Air Force and Army to rapidly install kits on HH-60 helicopters from both services.
“The team had to work with the Army to ensure the kits could be expeditiously installed on both services’ aircraft,” Bailey said. “They needed hardware development ... flight releases ... separate approval for cyber ... all simultaneously coordinated for flight testing.”
The effort succeeded, he said, because the team was able to secure rapid approvals and work across organizational boundaries.
“By pushing authorities lower through the ATS, we aim to ensure the proper engineering and coordination is done, but that it’s routed sensibly through the organization,” Bailey said.
The example reinforced a recurring theme throughout his remarks: speed is not simply about moving faster. It is about giving knowledgeable people the authority and tools to make informed decisions when and where those decisions need to be made.
Bailey pointed to that expertise at every level of the acquisition workforce, highlighting B-52 test manager intern Sharlee Twarek as an example.
Twarek developed a one-stop SharePoint resource to track certification statuses within the B-52 Radar Modernization Program and Commercial Engine Replacement Program test management processes. The tool brings stakeholders together, improves visibility and allows teams to identify risk earlier while maintaining a more accurate picture of program readiness.
Her proactiveness and initiative, Bailey said, reflects the kind of thinking acquisition transformation is designed to encourage identifying a problem, bringing the right people together and empowering individuals to improve how the mission gets done.
“That is warfighting acquisition,” Bailey said. “Giving the individual in the field the authority to fight the battle in front of them.”
As AFLCMC and the broader acquisition enterprise continue adapting to the demands of the future fight, Bailey emphasized that transformation cannot rest solely with senior leaders, program offices or policy changes. It is going to require the entire enterprise.
“We need every mind in the enterprise — requirements, sustainment, testing — aligned to this essential culture change,” Bailey said.