By: Dawn Zoldi (Col, USAF Ret.)
As technological advancement shapes the balance of global power, the United States Air Force faces a critical imperative: to sustain its edge through rapid acquisition and integration of emerging technologies. At the 2025 GBEF EDGE Security Summit, William “Bill” Bailey (call sign “Elvis”), Acting Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology & Logistics, discussed the complex interplay between innovation and culture and urged the defense sector to employ adaptive processes.
Adapting to a Changing Threat Landscape
Rapid change and increasing complexity define the global security environment. Bailey should know. He oversees a $60 billion portfolio that spans research, development, testing and modernization, which places him at the nexus of innovation and operational readiness. Additionally, as Director of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office (AFRCO), he is tasked with accelerating the development and deployment of critical combat systems that can defeat emerging threats.
With that backdrop, Bailey highlighted the importance of understanding our adversaries, particularly China, which has closely observed U.S. military operations and invested heavily in countering American advantages. He emphasized the need for the U.S. to continually adapt its strategies and technologies.
This adaptation requires a willingness to challenge established norms and embrace discomfort. Quoting General B. Chance Saltzman, Chief of Space Operations, Bailey observed, “What got us here may not get us where we need to go.” He urged the audience to become comfortable with being uncomfortable. Honest self-reflection and major reform, rather than incremental change, hold the key to maintaining the edge against China.
The Strategic Imperative of Technological Superiority
\At this critical juncture in history, the Air Force acquisition mission is clear: integrate emerging technologies to outpace threats and ensure operational superiority across air, space and cyber domains. “U.S. technological superiority is not optional. It is the foundation of deterrence, resilience and global leadership,” Bailey asserted.
The rapid advancements in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, hypersonics, robotics and autonomous systems, which has redefined the nature of warfare across all domains, has increased the gravity of this task facing the Air Force and, by extension, the broader national security apparatus. For the United States, maintaining leadership in these fields remains a strategic necessity.
From Platform-Centric to Domain-Centric Operations
Traditional, platform-centric models of warfare have shifted to integrated, domain-centric operations. Historically, a single platform—such as an aircraft—handled the entire mission, from sensing to targeting to engagement. Today, the complexity of modern warfare demands seamless integration across both air and space domains, with distributed sensing, communications and decision-making.
“We need to change to an environment where we can operate across domains, air and space… to make sure that those platforms all converge in space and time so that we can continue to function,” he said. This shift requires not only technological innovation, but also a willingness to rethink operational concepts and embrace new forms of collaboration.
Bailey invoked the Doolittle Raid—a World War II operation—to illustrate how bold innovation, collaboration and risk-taking have long been hallmarks of American military success. The Doolittle Raid involved a truly novel and unconventional approach: mounting medium bombers (B-25s) onto an aircraft carrier to strike Tokyo. The mission required extensive and creative adaptations, including stripping bombers of heavy guns and unnecessary equipment to reduce weight, and improvising simple sheet metal bomb sights in place of more sophisticated (and heavier) targeting equipment. These ideas came from the bottom up. Pilots and engineers found practical solutions to seemingly insurmountable challenges. This precedent, he suggested, should inspire a culture of agility and daring in today’s military acquisition and operational thinking.
The Culture of Innovation: Lessons from the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office
Despite its low public profile, the AFRCO is a critical piece of the Air Force acquisition enterprise and has been a driving force behind some of the Air Force’s most significant advancements for over two decades. Bailey explained, “Most people are not that familiar with the [Air Force] Rapid Capabilities Office. We expedite the fielding of novel, innovative and disruptive capabilities for our operators through a streamlined process.” The AFRCO’s unique structure, by reporting directly to the highest level of acquisition across Air Force and Space Force leadership, allows decisions to be made quickly enough to ensure they are still providing relevant capability to operators.
While many of the RCO’s projects remain classified, several high-profile programs have emerged, including the B-21 Raider next generation bomber and the X-37B reusable space plane. Bailey emphasized that the RCO’s true strength lies not just in the technologies it develops but in the new way of doing business that it fosters. “Perhaps sometimes it’s not as important in the technology as much as the approach, the culture, and the techniques that are used by all of that make up the rapid capabilities,” he said.
Innovation, while essential, is not without its challenges. Bailey offered a candid reflection on the nature of innovation within hierarchical organizations like the military. “Some of your best ideas can come from the most unusual places, and you have to have the patience. You have to be willing to listen to it, to assess it and make change based on it.”
He recounted experiences at events like the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and South by Southwest (SXSW) which reinforced his realization that the center of innovation sits outside the walls of the Pentagon. “If I want the best that the free world can offer,” Bailey asserts it will require rethinking traditional paradigms so “these groups will come in…to do business with me.” Failing to do so, he says, “means [we will] miss out on opportunity after opportunity.”
Strategic collaboration, therefore, becomes a cornerstone of effective innovation. Bailey called for a reevaluation of business models and processes that may inadvertently raise barriers to entry for nontraditional partners and startups. “We have tremendous capability in our defensive posture—always,” he said. “We have to take a hard look at what are those things that we do that increase the barrier for the rest of the country to offer us more in terms of access.”
Rethinking Acquisition: Speed, Flexibility and Risk
The AFRCO’s charter to “expedite the fielding of combat capabilities to the operators” can still clash with entrenched bureaucratic practices. Bailey acknowledged the discomfort this can cause within the Pentagon but argued that such discomfort is a sign of progress. “If you’re feeling the need for that kind of change, if you’re feeling that level of discomfort…you’re doing it right.”
He advocates for partnerships across government and industry to share lessons learned and seek new approaches to policy, compliance and collaboration. Bailey recounted working with Microsoft’s leadership as an example of the importance of mutual understanding and flexibility in developing solutions that meet the unique needs of the Air Force. He described how, in the process of working together, the two organizations often “talked past each other” at first, with each side approaching solutions from their own institutional perspectives. Overcoming this challenge required patience and an openness to adjust established ways of working, as both parties learned to bridge their operational differences and align goals. He underscored how lasting partnerships depend on both the government and industry partners being willing “to be agile and flexible in how they work.”
Acquisition as a Warfighting Function
Bailey challenged the perception of acquisition as a purely administrative function, asserting its critical role in operational success. “Acquisition is a warfighting function,” he declared, given the urgency and responsibility that comes with the role. Decisions made in offices and conference rooms have direct consequences for those on the front lines. “When we think about doing something, we should balance that with the risks of not doing something,” he explained.
Bailey also stressed the importance of overcoming fear of failure or criticism. Drawing from his own time at the Air Force Research Laboratory, he described how, despite being in a role for only twelve months, he was frequently called to the director’s office for making decisions or taking actions that upset others, the price that sometimes must be paid for making meaningful change. He threw down the gauntlet: “If we’re more afraid of getting yelled at than standing back and letting the system fail, then we’ve got to change.”
Breaking Down Barriers to Industry Collaboration
Tools such as Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreements and business model innovation remain essential to engaging a broader ecosystem of partners. Bailey acknowledged the frustrations that both government and industry face in navigating these processes but argued that we must address these barriers to harness the full potential of American innovation.
He also recognized the role of the traditional defense industrial base. Its current structure is, in part, a product of past decisions within the Department of Defense. “We have to take responsibility in the department for the things that we did, that made them what they are today.” Bailey emphasized the importance of ongoing dialogue and partnership with these larger defense companies to leverage their capital and expertise, while also seeking new ways to collaborate.
He highlighted several ongoing programs that exemplify the Air Force’s commitment to agility and autonomy, including the B-21 Raider, the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) Family of Systems, which includes the recently announced F-47 fighter and Collaborative Combat Aircraft. Through strategic implementation of government reference architectures and knowledge parity with industry, these programs advance technological capabilities while pioneering new approaches to integration and rapid deployment.
Agility, Autonomy and the Future Force
Bailey concluded with a call to action for both government and industry. “We need your ideas, not only on technology, but [on] how to work together,” he said. “We are ready for new business models. We’re ready to challenge the status quo.” For his government colleagues, Bailey urged a willingness to embrace discomfort and challenge established norms, as meaningful progress often comes with risk.
The future of U.S. air and space superiority depends on this ability to rapidly acquire, integrate and operationalize emerging technologies. This requires more than mere technological prowess. It demands a culture of innovation, a willingness to challenge the status quo and a commitment to partnership across government, industry and the broader innovation ecosystem. By fostering these qualities, the Air Force aims not only to maintain its edge (no pun intended), but to define the future of defense.