Space Force announces second tranche of PAEs Published March 17, 2026 Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) -- In line with the ongoing Department of War-driven Acquisition Transformation, the Space Force has designated its second tranche of mission areas that will be assigned Portfolio Acquisition Executives, including: Infrastructure; Battle Management, Command, Control, Communication and Space Intelligence; Satellite Communication and Positioning, Navigation and Timing; and Missile Warning and Tracking. These PAEs, along with the Space Access and Space Based Sensing and Targeting PAEs that were part of the initial tranche announced January 2026, will report to the Secretary of the Air Force through the Space Service Acquisition Executive. “To win in the long run we must innovate faster than our adversaries,” said Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink. “These next six PAEs will allow us to do just that by capitalizing on the right talent, giving them the resources they need and empowering them to deliver mission effective capability to the warfighter faster.” The portfolios are designed to prioritize the speed of delivery of combat-effective capabilities within their mission area. For each PAE, those mission areas are: • Space Access: delivering national security, civil and commercial capabilities to orbit • Space Based Sensing and Targeting: delivering persistent space-based battlespace awareness • Infrastructure: delivering data management, Space Force training and test capabilities, and personnel management capabilities • BMC3I: delivering cross-cutting capabilities such as data, networks, C2, intelligence and space domain awareness to detect, characterize, attribute, anticipate and target activities • SATCOM and PNT: delivering resilient commercial and military satellite communications and integrated PNT capabilities • Missile Warning and Tracking: delivering diverse, integrated, and resilient missile warning and tracking space architecture “By clarifying priorities and empowering leaders, the Space Force is positioning itself to outpace adversaries and secure U.S. interests in, from and to space,” said Thomas Ainsworth, performing the duties of the assistant secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration. “This is how we design and build the right systems for the warfighter, at the right time, to execute the right mission.”