When a new team of U.S. Air Force acquisition leaders won a heated battle with Congress in July and boldly killed a plan to buy a $7 billion fleet of new reconnaissance aircraft, it seemed like a turning point.A vital and proven capability-in this case, the Northrop Grumman E-8C Joint Stars (J-Stars) fleet's aerial ground surveillance radar and onboard battle management center-would be allowed to drift into retirement within seven years, with only a thinly defined, yet immensely complicated, concept that could take decades to fully realize offered as an alternative.As new details of the Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS) emerged during three days of interviews, panel discussions and press conferences at the Air Force Association's (AFA) annual Air, Space & Cyber Conference, the implications of the demise of the J-Stars recapitalization program are becoming clear. More than just a tactical move, the pending retirement of J-Stars signals a shift in acquisition and operational strategy that could reverberate far beyond the Air Force's intelligence-gathering fleet.Indeed, the far-reaching and high stakes nature of the new approach tempers the pace of decision-making by Will Roper, the newly installed assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition. Until last February, Roper was the director of the Strategic Capabilities Office, which was established during the Obama administration to accelerate the introduction of breakthrough technologies on existing platforms.
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