RESTON, Va. — The U.S. Space Force is ramping up efforts to reform its acquisition processes, tightening oversight of underperforming programs and accelerating a shift toward fixed-price contracts, a senior official said Feb. 11.
Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy, the Space Force’s acting acquisition executive, said his office is intensifying efforts initiated by former space acquisition chief Frank Calvelli to streamline programs and control costs.
“We’re continuing those efforts, but doing it more aggressively,” Purdy said at the National Security Space Association’s Defense and Intelligence Space Conference.
As military deputy for space acquisitions, Purdy is authorized by Congress to serve as acting acquisition executive until the Trump administration nominates and the Senate confirms a civilian assistant secretary.
Purdy’s office oversees 59 major acquisition programs, half of which already operate under fixed-price contracts. He said he aims to expand this model to reduce financial risk and improve program execution.
A long-standing criticism of defense acquisition is the cycle of contractors overpromising and underdelivering. Purdy noted, however, that accountability also extends to government managers overseeing programs. “We are looking at taking action against poor-performing government program managers,” he said. “First, we’re going to give them help, provide guidance and additional acquisition support, and if they’re not making it, then we’ll look at removals.”
Legislative backing for reform
The reforms align with broader defense acquisition initiatives, including those outlined in legislation introduced by Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Wicker’s Fostering Reform and Government Efficiency in Defense (FORGED) Act, unveiled in December, proposes ways to drive efficiency and accountability in defense programs.
“The Wicker Act is really fascinating,” Purdy said. “We’re big fans of it.”
While the FORGED Act has yet to pass into law, some of its provisions could be incorporated into the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act. One notable provision would restructure program management by replacing program executive officers with “portfolio acquisition executives,” giving them more flexibility to allocate resources across related projects.
The National Reconnaissance Office, which oversees U.S. spy satellites, has successfully implemented a similar model, allowing it to shift funds and integrate commercial technologies more efficiently. “They’re able to do trades with other systems. They’re able to make architectural trades, funding trades, commercial trades,” Purdy said. “They really understand the commercial market and how they tap into some of those for their missions.”
Addressing acquisition pitfalls
The Space Force has faced significant acquisition challenges, particularly with large-scale programs such as the OCX ground system for the GPS constellation, which has been plagued by years of delays and cost overruns. Purdy said a key focus now is assessing risk exposure in cost-plus contracts, which tend to be associated with more complex, high-risk technology development.
“We are now really looking to explore risk exposure on our programs,” he said. “These typically are programs using cost-plus contracts, and they are really difficult technology. So we’re going to look hard at figuring out how to get out of that, and that’s going to be painful on all sides.”
One potential solution is breaking up large programs into smaller, more manageable projects. “We tend to have a lot of pretty harsh requirements,” he said. “We’re looking to draw some of those back.”
Tapping commercial sector
Purdy highlighted ongoing efforts to integrate commercial space technology into national security programs, particularly through increased engagement with venture capital investors. The Space Force’s acquisition arm, the Space Systems Command in Los Angeles, has led efforts to build stronger ties with investors backing space startups.
“We’ve really worked hard to reach out to that community,” he said, noting that the Space Force has briefed venture capital executives at the Pentagon and engaged with investment communities in New York and Miami. “We found that they really understand our mission area pretty well.”
While most startup contracts remain small research projects, Purdy pointed to programs such as the Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI) initiative, which pools funding from government agencies and venture capitalists to scale up successful projects. “That’s a whole different subject, and those are some of my favorite tools,” he said. “We can use those kinds of activities because there is government money, there’s VC money … for us to explore some interesting, innovative ideas and get the residual capability.”
One initiative under consideration is the so-called Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve (CASR), which would allow the military to leverage commercial space assets — such as satellites and communications infrastructure — during crises.
Purdy expressed strong support for CASR but acknowledged challenges in implementation. “We’re still figuring out what’s the right way to get about doing business,” he said. “The end goal is to really be tied with industry and to get industry the capability to be able to participate in all our exercises. And so just figuring out the right contractual structures is part one.”
Funding remains a sticking point. “We get beat up a lot because we’re not doing enough commercial, and my response is we’re trying to set up as much as we can,” Purdy said. CASR, he noted, is a program where “we have no money, but we’ll provide the leadership.”
With budgets under pressure, he sees creative funding approaches as essential. “Using these little tricks and other pots of money are useful,” he said.
