A key Pentagon space procurement post may soon have a permanent occupant again
President Donald Trump on April 21 nominated Erich Hernandez-Baquero, a Raytheon executive and retired U.S. Air Force colonel, to serve as assistant secretary of the Air Force for space acquisition and integration. If confirmed by the Senate, he would become only the second official to hold the position since it was created to centralize oversight of military space procurement.
The role is one of the most important civilian acquisition posts in the evolving national security space apparatus. It sits within the Department of the Air Force, works in close alignment with the U.S. Space Force, and carries responsibility for acquisition strategy, budgeting, and program execution across satellites, ground systems, and data networks.
At a moment when the Pentagon is proposing a sharp expansion in military space spending, the nomination is not just a personnel decision. It is a signal about who may guide one of the fastest-growing areas of defense procurement.
Why this job matters
The assistant secretary position was established in the 2020 defense authorization act to create a dedicated civilian authority over space acquisition, separate from traditional Air Force procurement channels. The logic was straightforward: military space systems had become important enough, complex enough, and strategically distinct enough to justify their own leadership structure.
Frank Calvelli became the first Senate-confirmed official in the role in 2022 and served until the end of the Biden administration in January 2025. After his departure, the office lacked a Senate-confirmed successor. Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy served in an acting capacity for roughly a year, and in 2026 the role has been filled on a temporary basis by Thomas Ainsworth, a senior civilian acquisition executive.
That period of interim leadership came as the Pentagon’s investment in military space continued to rise. Filling the office permanently would therefore give the administration a clearer hand on acquisition strategy just as the scale of procurement and launch planning appears set to grow dramatically.
