DAF shakes up space acquisition leadership, Purdy takes ‘senior advisor’ role

WASHINGTON — In a surprise move, Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy, who until recently was running the space acquisition shop at the Department of the Air Force, has been shifted out of that office to serve as “senior advisor” to Secretary Troy Meink.

“Effective 20 Feb, Maj Gen Purdy is the Senior Advisor to the Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition,” a Space Force spokesperson told Breaking Defense Monday. The spokesperson did not disclose why the move was made.

Purdy on Jan. 22 announced he had stepped down from his year-long stint as Air Force acting head of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration (SAF/SQ). He had been simultaneously serving as military deputy to that office.

The Defense Department has yet to nominate an assistant secretary for space acquisition, who also holds the role of DoD’s Space Acquisition Executive (SAE). That post, created by Congress, was last held by Frank Calvelli during the Biden administration. With Purdy’s shift, the Air Force tapped Tom Ainsworth to “perform the duties” of the assistance secretary at SAF/SQ.

Brig. Gen. Panzenhagen has been named to take on the role of military deputy at SAF/SQ, the Space Force spokesperson said. Panzenhagen formerly was quad-hatted as Program Executive Officer for Assured Access to Space, commander of Space Launch Delta 45, director of the Eastern Range, and director of Launch and Range Operations at Space Systems Command.

It is unclear what exactly Purdy’s new senior advisor role entails. However, on his LinkedIn profile, Purdy wrote that he will be “[a]dvising SECAF on the entire DAF Space Acquisition portfolio and working special projects.”

The shift comes as senior Space Force leaders are expecting a significant budget boost for fiscal 2027, but also will be faced with ensuring smooth integration of a wide range of service programs that will play a supporting role in the creation of the Trump administration’s ambitious plan to create a Golden Dome missile shield.