Gregory Kausner, acting undersecretary of acquisition and sustainment at the Department of Defense, said that the growing defense acquisition demands an integrated suite of capabilities guided by mission engineering to reach the desired warfighting goals, DOD News reported Wednesday.

Kausner enumerated scoped requirements, guided development and informed investment as essential factors to develop the agency’s capabilities and link the programs to their intended missions.

“Put simply, the mission architecture is the business model for the conduct of operations,” he said in an event speech, adding that the DOD can determine vital threads when an “overarching mission architecture” is highlighted.

The agency recently developed the adaptive acquisition framework aimed at providing suitable and sustainable solutions to end-users. Kausner said the framework allows program teams to plan and manage their strategies according to specific capabilities.

The DOD official also noted that they are working on improving their talent management and developing a data-centric enterprise that leverages data for improved efficiency and operational advantage.

For better synchronization of warfighting efforts, the agency is adopting integrated acquisition portfolio reviews. “We are in the midst of a rebalance from a program-centric approach to a portfolio-based perspective,” Kausner said.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) now holds the findings of a NASA project that demonstrated various tools for air traffic management.

FAA will nationally implement six years' worth of findings from NASA’s Airspace Technology Demonstration 2 projects, which tested integrated arrival, departure and surface (IADS) technologies at various airports, the space agency said Wednesday.

The IADS tools demonstrated fuel savings, carbon reduction and information sharing at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field Airport.

“I’m excited the software NASA developed for air traffic controllers and airlines will be soon rolled out at airports across the country and know the results will continue to be extraordinary," said Bill Nelson, NASA administrator.

ATD-2 is part of NASA's larger Airspace Technology Demonstration portfolio, which also includes ATD-1 and ATD-3. ATD-1 tackled fuel-efficient ground-based and flight deck technologies, and ATD-3 tested ways to adjust flight paths based on weather and air traffic data.

The Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) proposed additional funding for the procurement of six more Lockheed Martin-built F-35 fighter jets in its markup of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2022, Breaking Defense reported Tuesday.

The Senate panel’s NDAA markup would add $85 million in funds to procure one additional F-35A for the U.S. Air Force and $535 million for five more F-35C carrier landing jets used by the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps.

SASC also proposed $1.7 billion to facilitate Block 4 upgrades of the Air Force’s 338 aircraft with the integration of the technology refresh 3 hardware; $246.6 million to buy additional ground support and spares for F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing jets used by the Marines; $175 million to purchase 20 F-135 power modules; and $20 million for the F-35 continuous capability and delivery initiative.

The committee would also transfer from the Department of Defense’s joint program office to the departments of the Air Force and Navy the acquisition authority for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program no later than Oct. 1, 2027. The Senate panel also requires DOD to submit to Congress a plan to facilitate the transition by Oct. 1, 2022.

The House passed the $778 billion FY 2022 NDAA in a 316-113 vote Thursday.

The State Department has released its strategy to further implement the use of data across its operations and workforce. The department said Monday that its Enterprise Data Strategy titled “Empowering Data-Informed Diplomacy” aims to equip personnel with data for decision making.

The strategy aligns with several efforts of the Biden Administration such as the memorandum on evidence-based policymaking and the executive order on improving the nation's cybersecurity.

State Department agencies will use the strategy to cultivate a data-centric culture, analytically augment decision making, establish mission-driven data management and improve enterprise data governance.

The strategy also helps the department meet several regulatory and congressional requirements related to enterprise data.