General David W. Allvin’s remarks at the AFA Warfare Symposium point to a stark reality for the U.S. Air Force: balancing the urgent need for modernization with ever-increasing operational and maintenance costs. At a time when the service’s average aircraft is more than 30 years old, budgets are under scrutiny, and new priorities such as Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) and missile defense loom large, there’s never been a better moment to embrace fresh thinking. An “arena” beckons, as Gen. Allvin alluded to with the Roosevelt quote, and Agile methodologies offer a proven path to step in and, yes, dare greatly.
Re-Imagining “More Air Force”
When Gen. Allvin says, “America needs more Air Force,” he’s not talking about continuing the historical trends of growth. He wants to optimize in the best possible ways—flexibility, modernization, and acceleration in development. Although eliminating waste by downsizing expendable infrastructure and underused bases alone won’t fix the gap between demands and budgets. The answer lies in the full transformation of how the Air Force operates.
With transformation comes opportunity. By incorporating and embedding an Agile mindset into the Air Force’s modernization approach we begin to incorporate increased efficiency, adaptability and innovation while driving mission success. In the software and technology sectors, by utilizing the agile principles of short feedback loops, iterative planning, continuous integration, we have revolutionized how complex products get built. These same principles, proven techniques and strategies, and agile approaches can be applied to developing, testing, and improving cutting-edge military systems, programs and processes.
Sustaining an Aging Fleet
Gen. Allvin explained that the rising age and the drop in aircraft availability are stretching the resources of his Airmen. By adopting Agile techniques, the Air Force can more effectively shift resources where they’re needed. This will enable programs to continuously prioritize the highest-value tasks, rather than specifically re-evaluating successes and roadblocks during large multi-year budget cycles. Utilizing iterative development helps maintain successful programs, while simultaneously developing a faster and leaner path to new capabilities that let the Air Force speed into the Great Power Competition, ensuring our nation’s military superiority.
Agile & Cross-Functional Collaboration
Air Force modernization is swiftly moving toward unmanned and semi-autonomous platforms. Agile teams utilize essential skills that excel at bringing emerging technologies from concept to combat readiness with speed. Agile means using rapid sprints, cross-functional collaboration, and real-time feedback ensure new CCAs as well as Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) systems are integrated seamlessly into existing force structures. Agile thrives on early user testing, which helps identify friction points and determine optimal solutions before they can become operational roadblocks.
Empowering Airmen
Agile transformation isn’t just for agile and software engineers. Agile strategy fosters a culture of continuous improvement, team building and open communication. By incorporating all levels of and team into the process in collaborative, short, well-defined “sprints,” the team collectively identifies problems, proposes fixes, and tests solutions faster. The agile thinking is instrumental in breaking down silos, refocusing teams on outcomes, and works to provide immediate visibility to leadership on the progress, risks, and evolving needs of each program.
Gen. Allvin referenced Theodore Roosevelt’s “Man in the Arena”, remarking that the future of airpower demands courageous change. Agile offers a strategic and tested framework, one where “fail fast” doesn’t mean disaster, but rather a proactive approach to refining solutions, mitigating risk and building foundational success to determine best practices before scaling for mission success.
General Allvin is right, now is the time for the Air Force to dare greatly. There is an opportunity for the Air Force to enter into the arena, to lead and embrace the methodologies that will define the future of defense and the military in the Great Power Competition. At Digital Transformations, LLC, we stand ready to lead that change.