In the Air Force's efforts to reoptimize for Great Power Competition, Air Force Materiel Command Commander Gen. Duke Z. Richardson stood up the Integrated Development Office, Sept. 16.
The IDO is a command-level office designed to acquire the right capabilities and field them faster and more effectively across AFMC and the Air Force enterprise.
"The IDO leads capability development projects that are integrated and interoperable and that answer the Air Force's most pressing force design needs. This stand-up moves us toward a single integrated acquisition demand signal that will galvanize AFMC and strengthen DAF warfighting capabilities." Gen. Duke Richardson, Commander, Air Force Materiel Command
The stand-up simultaneously signals the start of Richardson being dual-hatted as the Capability Development Executive Officer, or CDEO, to lead this overall effort. When performing this role, he will report to the Service Acquisition Executive. The IDO director, the position in charge of daily operations, has not yet been named. Amanda Gentry, director, Sensors Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, continues to serve as the IDO stand-up lead.
The IDO's creation is one of several changes prompted by the DAF's focus on reoptimizing for GPC. During the February 2024 Air and Space Forces Association Warfare Symposium, Air Force senior leaders announced the DAF's need to reevaluate its current practices to ensure it is ready to deter pacing threats, and if necessary, win.
In step with the stand up of the IDO, the Air Force also announced the provisional status of its newest command - the Integrated Capabilities Command. This command will focus on prioritizing modernization plans and develop programming inputs to align with the force design, providing a cost-effective pipeline of competitive warfighting capabilities. The IDO, in collaboration with the ICC, will decompose mission threads, execute trade-space analysis to define potential solution pathways, and iterate towards force design solutions, driving a single demand signal to the science and technology community, industry, and Program Executive Officers for program execution.
This newly established partnership between the requirements and acquisition communities will result in new warfighter capabilities at the speed of relevance, maximize the utility of Air Force research and development investments, and drive cross-cutting capability adoption across the Air Force enterprise.
Based out of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the IDO is projected to have approximately 200 personnel sourced primarily from existing AFMC organizations. The IDO is slated to be fully staffed and resourced with a new director expected to be named in the coming months.
