Pete Hegseth, secretary of the Department of Defense and a 2025 Wash100 awardee, is expected to announce a major restructuring of the Pentagon’s arms sales operations on Nov. 7 at a meeting of defense industry executives, Politico reported Wednesday.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which oversees U.S. foreign military sales, will move from under the policy side of DOD led by Elbridge Colby to the acquisition and sustainment office headed by Michael Duffey.
The move is designed to accelerate weapons production and streamline FMS deals. By aligning arms sales with the Pentagon’s $400 billion weapons-procurement office, officials hope to reduce delays that have frustrated allies seeking U.S. equipment.
Army to Consolidate PEOs Under New ‘Portfolio Acquisition Executives’
The defense secretary is also expected to announce a broader reorganization of the Pentagon’s acquisition bureaucracy.
According to the report, Hegseth’s team is expected to consolidate the U.S. Army’s 13 program executive offices — which oversee the procurement of tanks, artillery shells and other weapons systems — into larger portfolios overseen by new senior officials known as “portfolio acquisition executives.” These leaders will report directly to the Army secretary and chief of staff, giving top officials a clearer picture of the service’s most critical programs.
Similar changes are anticipated for the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Air Force as part of Hegseth’s push to improve oversight, speed up decision-making and better coordinate weapons production with global demand.
