systems engineering, software-intensive programs, and digital transformation. He currently serves a WarU instructor of Digital Engineering Management, Agile Software Development, and Design Consideration. Balsters has led initiatives advancing Model- Based Systems Engineering education and training across DoW organizations. HAVLICEK is a professor of Engineering and Technical Management at the WarU and an early author of the digital acquisition policy in the U.S. Air Force Office of the Chief Engi- neer. His background includes a combined 32-year career as a U.S. Air Force officer and federal civilian of engineering and operations research. He holds a B.S.E. in Industrial and Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, an M.S. degree in Acquisition Logistics from the Air Force Insti- tute of Technology (AFIT), and a graduate certificate in Operations Research (Human System Integration) from the Naval Postgrad- uate School. He also earned doctoral candi- dacy at AFIT in operations research. SCALCO is a professor of Engineering at the WarU. Her career spans more than 25 years in systems engineering, cybersecurity, and DoW acquisition, including as an Information Security Systems Designer at the National Security Agency. She received the Depart- ment of the Navy Civilian Service Commen- dation Medal in 2025 for her contributions to national security as a designated Navy Cyber Subject Matter Expert for Mission Critical Control Systems. She holds a Ph.D. in Systems Engineering from Colorado State University, an M.Eng. from Iowa State Univer- sity, an MBA from the University of Phoenix, and a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Missouri. The authors can be contacted at Robert.Hannah@waru.edu ;
When schedules compress and operational demands rise, organizations revert to silos over coordinated action. Leaders must ensure collaboration to drive accountability and performance across the value chain.
simulations (e.g., Monte Carlo), port - folio leaders gain a distinct frame - work for immediate action: • Immediate decisiveness. Pro - ceed confidently if the digital model confirms the design tracks safely within the designated affordability box. • Delegated risk mitigation. If risk thresholds are breached, push specific, task-oriented mitiga - tion activities back to the working level to buy down risk and build statistical confidence. • Cross-functional trade-offs. If a system violates reliability base - lines, step in and execute hard de - sign trades—such as denying re - quests for increased system weight or power—to aggressively protect life-cycle supportability. Technology, processes, and digital tools are merely enablers. Realizing this transformation requires an ab - solute cultural mandate across every tier of the workforce: Every stake - holder, from the senior executive to the entry-level engineering intern, must operate under a single, non- negotiable mission of delivering af- fordable readiness to the warfighter. To drive cultural alignment, leaders should implement targeted trans - formation levers such as dedicated leadership training programs focused on collaborative behaviors and life- cycle thinking, as well as incentive structures that recognize and reward cross-functional teamwork and pro - active sustainment decisions. In addition, ongoing communica - tion campaigns should reinforce the mission and highlight success sto - ries of cross-functional integration, ensuring the message of affordable
readiness is internalized throughout the enterprise. Conclusion Digital acquisition leadership be - gins with a simple but demanding shift: Leaders must govern systems across the full life cycle, not just through acquisition milestones. When digital models, affordability data, and sustainment realities are integrated early, organizations can make faster, better decisions that produce capabil - ity which is both effective in the near term and supportable over time. HANNAH is a professor of Life Cycle Logis- tics at the Warfighting Acquisition University, (WarU) South Region at Redstone Arsenal, Ala. He has 38 years of experience in acqui- sition and sustainment as a former program integrator for the Counter Rocket, Artillery and Mortar Intercept Program at KBR, Inc.; a dep- uty program manager for multi-intelligence vehicles at the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command; and a product manager for mounted combat systems for the U.S. Army Future Combat Systems. He holds an M.S. in Project Management from the Naval Postgraduate School. BALSTERS, an Air Force lieutenant colonel, is a senior acquisition professional and educator with over 21 years of experience in defense
Christopher.Balsters@waru.edu ; Jeffrey.Halicek@waru.edu ; and Aleksandra.Scalco@waru.edu .
The views expressed in this article are those of the authors alone and not the Department of War. Reproduction or reposting of articles from Defense Acquisition magazine should credit the authors and the magazine.
14 DEFENSE ACQUISITION MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER –OCTOBER 2026
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