Program Executive Office Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors
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| Program Executive Office Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors | |
|---|---|
| Name | Program Executive Office Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors |
| Formation | 2016 |
| Jurisdiction | United States Department of the Navy |
| Headquarters | Patuxent River, Maryland |
| Chief1 name | (Position: Program Executive Officer) |
| Parent agency | United States Department of the Navy |
Program Executive Office Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors is a United States Department of the Navy acquisition organization responsible for delivering airborne, surface, subsurface, and expeditionary intelligence, electronic warfare, and sensor systems. It coordinates development and procurement across multiple platforms to support operations associated with the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, United States Indo-Pacific Command, and allied forces, integrating capabilities that interact with programs such as P-8 Poseidon, F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, Virginia-class submarine, and Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. The office interfaces with defense research entities and acquisition institutions to align technology insertion with strategic guidance from organizations including the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Congress, and the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment.
Overview and Mission
The office’s mission emphasizes delivering interoperable intelligence and electronic warfare sensors that support maritime, aerial, and littoral operations, coordinating with stakeholders such as the Chief of Naval Operations, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Director of National Intelligence. Its responsibilities touch capabilities associated with programs and systems like AN/APG radar, AESA radar, AEHF, Global Positioning System, and standards promulgated by the National Security Agency, Defense Innovation Unit, and United States Cyber Command. Guidance and resourcing derive from legislation and oversight by entities such as the National Defense Authorization Act, the House Armed Services Committee, and the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Organizational Structure
The organization is led by a Program Executive Officer who reports through the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development and Acquisition) into the Secretary of the Navy. It comprises subordinate program offices and directorates aligned to mission areas: airborne sensors, maritime/undersea sensors, electronic warfare suites, and countermeasures. The office collaborates with acquisition commands like the Naval Air Systems Command, Naval Sea Systems Command, and Naval Information Warfare Systems Command, and coordinates technical input from laboratories including Naval Research Laboratory, Office of Naval Research, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, and Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. Workforce and contracting practices conform to statutes administered by the Federal Acquisition Regulation and the Defense Contract Management Agency, with audit and oversight from the Government Accountability Office and Department of Defense Inspector General.
Major Programs and Capabilities
Major portfolios include airborne intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems integrated on platforms such as the Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye, Lockheed P-3 Orion, and MQ-4C Triton; electronic warfare systems compatible with airframes like the EA-18G Growler and surface combatant suites on the Zumwalt-class destroyer; and undersea sensor arrays associated with the Seawolf-class submarine replacement programs and AN/SQQ-89 systems. The office also fields SIGINT and ELINT processing systems that interoperate with AN/ALQ suites, satellite communications from Wideband Global SATCOM, and tactical data links such as Link 16 and Cooperative Engagement Capability. Sustainment and logistics support draw on practices found in Defense Logistics Agency operations and contracting with primes such as Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon Technologies, BAE Systems, and General Dynamics.
Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation
RDT&E activities leverage partnerships with DARPA, Naval Postgraduate School, Naval Surface Warfare Center, and academia at institutions like Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, and Georgia Institute of Technology. Test and evaluation uses ranges and facilities such as Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Point Mugu Sea Test Range, Pacific Missile Range Facility, and the Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center, and integrates test planning with Commander, Operational Test and Evaluation Force and Director, Operational Test and Evaluation. Technology maturation pathways mirror models used by Small Business Innovation Research and Other Transaction Authority prototypes, benefiting from transition mechanisms advocated by the Defense Innovation Unit and Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.
Acquisition Strategy and Procurement
Acquisition strategies balance rapid prototyping, spiral development, and traditional Milestone Decision Authority processes under the Department of Defense Instruction 5000.02 framework. Contracting vehicles include other transaction agreements, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts, and firm-fixed-price awards administered through the Naval Sea Systems Command and Naval Supply Systems Command. Budgeting interactions occur with the Office of Management and Budget, the Congressional Budget Office, and appropriations committees during National Defense Authorization Act cycles; program metrics report into the Defense Acquisition Management framework and are subject to Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation analyses.
International and Interagency Partnerships
The office sustains interoperability with allies through export and foreign military sales frameworks involving partners like NATO, United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, South Korea, and Canada, and through cooperative research arrangements with Five Eyes and multinational programs like Multinational Sea Satellite Initiative-style collaborations. Interagency coordination includes the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, National Reconnaissance Office, Central Intelligence Agency, and Federal Aviation Administration for spectrum and airspace deconfliction. Partnerships also engage industry consortia and standards bodies such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, RTCA, Inc., and 3rd Generation Partnership Project for technical interoperability.
Oversight, Policy, and Historical Evolution
Policy oversight references statutes, regulations, and doctrines produced by entities like the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, and aligns with maritime strategy documents such as A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower and National Defense Strategy. Historically, its lineage traces through legacy naval acquisition reforms influenced by events like the Cold War, the Gulf War, the Global War on Terrorism, and programmatic shifts following reviews such as the Packard Commission and the Goldwater-Nichols Act. Continuous modernization responds to technological trends exemplified by the Internet, satellite navigation, stealth technology, cybersecurity advances, and the emergence of hypersonic threats, while accountability is enforced via Congressional oversight and audit by the Government Accountability Office.