Program Executive Office for Air ASW, Assault and Special Mission
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| Program Executive Office for Air ASW, Assault and Special Mission | |
|---|---|
| Unit name | Program Executive Office for Air ASW, Assault and Special Mission |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | Department of the Navy |
| Role | Acquisition and lifecycle management for rotary-wing, tiltrotor, and missionized fixed-wing aircraft |
| Garrison | Patuxent River |
| Commander | Program Executive Officer |
Program Executive Office for Air ASW, Assault and Special Mission is a United States naval acquisition organization responsible for procurement, fielding, and sustainment of antisubmarine warfare, assault, and special mission aviation systems. It operates within the Naval Air Systems Command and interacts with defense acquisition stakeholders including the Department of Defense, Office of the Secretary of Defense, and congressional oversight committees. The office manages programs spanning rotary-wing, tiltrotor, and missionized fixed-wing platforms, coordinating with industry primes, research institutions, and international partners.
History
The office traces its functions to post-World War II naval aviation reorganizations and the Cold War expansion of antisubmarine capabilities associated with the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Program structures evolved through defense acquisition reforms such as the Goldwater–Nichols Act and the Packard Commission recommendations, leading to the modern Program Executive Office model adopted across the United States Department of Defense acquisition enterprise. Milestones include lifecycle transitions for platforms introduced during the Cold War, modernization initiatives following the Gulf War, and responsiveness demonstrated during operations like Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Mission and Responsibilities
The office executes acquisition programs to deliver mission-capable aviation systems supporting fleet anti-submarine warfare, assault support, and special operations missions linked to commands such as United States Fleet Forces Command, United States Pacific Fleet, and United States Special Operations Command. Responsibilities include requirements validation with stakeholders like the Chief of Naval Operations, program budgeting under the Defense Acquisition System, developmental testing with Naval Air Systems Command test squadrons, and sustainment planning aligned with Naval Sea Systems Command lifecycle logistics. The office interfaces with appropriations and oversight via the United States Congress and compliance frameworks such as the Federal Acquisition Regulation.
Organizational Structure
Organizationally, the office is aligned under the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development and Acquisition) and works closely with Navy warfare centers such as the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division. Its structure includes program offices for rotary-wing aircraft, tiltrotor programs, mission systems integration, and test and evaluation. It coordinates with commands and agencies including Naval Air Systems Command, Naval Sea Systems Command, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Navy Systems Command, and international program offices tied to allies such as NATO member procurement offices. Leadership comprises a Program Executive Officer, deputy PEOs, program managers, contracting officers, and engineering leads drawn from civil service and military ranks like those in the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps.
Major Programs and Platforms
The office manages legacy and modern platforms across antisubmarine warfare and assault roles, including rotorcraft fleets introduced during aviation campaigns associated with the Cold War and upgraded in response to lessons from Operation Desert Storm. Notable platform programs coordinate upgrades, sustainment, and missionization for types such as tiltrotor platforms developed in partnership with industry primes, antisubmarine warfare helicopters integrated with sonobuoy and dipping sonar suites used in countering submarine threats exemplified during the Cold War and in contemporary South China Sea operations, and special mission adaptations supporting United States Special Operations Command taskings. Programs include avionics modernization, sensor fusion initiatives, survivability upgrades influenced by lessons from Gulf War (1990–1991), and software-centric systems aligned with trends in networked warfare highlighted by exercises involving United States European Command and United States Indo-Pacific Command.
Collaboration and Partnerships
Collaboration spans defense contractors, original equipment manufacturers, and research institutions including Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Sikorsky Aircraft, and Bell Helicopter Textron as industry partners, and laboratories such as the Naval Research Laboratory and university research centers engaged through Small Business Innovation Research awards and Cooperative Research and Development Agreements. International cooperation includes interoperability efforts with allies participating in NATO exercises and Foreign Military Sales relationships with partner nations involved in regional security arrangements like the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue. The office also engages with standards bodies and testing organizations exemplified by coordination with Joint Chiefs of Staff requirements, Defense Logistics Agency sustainment activities, and interoperability frameworks used by coalition partners.
Acquisition and Procurement Process
Acquisition follows the Defense Acquisition System lifecycle model: requirements definition, materiel solution analysis, engineering and manufacturing development, production and deployment, and sustainment. The office employs program management tools, earned value management practices subject to oversight by the Government Accountability Office and congressional defense committees, and contracting vehicles including Other Transaction Authorities and Federal Acquisition Regulation-based contracts. Testing and evaluation phases involve instrumentation from Naval Air Warfare Center ranges and coordination with the Department of Defense Test Resource Management Center. Budgetary planning aligns with the annual Program Objective Memorandum submissions to the Office of the Secretary of Defense and appropriations considered by the United States Congress.