Compete, deter, win. These are the core operational mandates directly from the U.S. Navy’s strategic guidance. These directives are at the root of two 2026 Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) Commander’s Award winners from the Deputy Portfolio Acquisition Executive Aviation (DPAE-A), Marine Corps Aviation (MCA). Each program recognized ensured the warfighter gets what they need, when they need it, to keep our nation at peak warfighting readiness.
In an email announcing this year’s winners, VADM John E. Dougherty IV, Portfolio Acquisition Executive Aviation and Commander, NAVAIR stated, “Our award winners rose to the top from a remarkable pool of 86 nominees, each demonstrating the mindset and behaviors that propel our mission—delivering lethal, integrated warfighting capability and readiness to Navy and Marine Corps forces to enable the fleet to fight and win, anytime and anywhere.”
Warfighting acquisition is what keeps our fleet forces in the fight. Operating under DPAE-A MCA, both the Air Combat Electronics (PMA-209) and Adversary and Specialized Aircraft (PMA-226) program offices are providing capabilities and systems in unique ways to acquire, deliver and train, and they continue to fulfill the need for new, collaborative solutions and unique approaches that get directly into the hands of the warfighter at record speed.
"There is a reason our programs continue to be recognized for these distinguished awards. They consistently rise to the occasion - keeping the warfighter and their needs in the forefront of the work they do. By delivering the best, most advanced technologies, at speed, they work tirelessly to keep ahead of the threat,” said MajGen David Walsh, Deputy Portfolio Acquisition Executive (DPAE) Aviation - Marine Corps Aviation (MCA).
Both PMA-209 and PMA-226 were awarded these high accolades by executing outside of the box with exceptional team cooperation and leadership encouragement and support.
Congratulations to the teams who make it their mission to remain dynamic in their ability to field capabilities and award contracts in record time.
The DPAE-A MCA winners are:
Workforce Development: PMA-209 Avionics Architecture Team With the recent increased focus on expanding the utilization of modular open systems approach (MOSA), the PMA-209 Avionics Architecture Team (AAT) recognized a gap in MOSA-centric expertise and addressed it by creating and delivering training to significantly improve workforce skills strengthening the technical, business and leadership proficiency of our people. The training sessions are for program managers, engineers, and integrators, and cover new technologies, resources and guides that bridge vital implementation gaps. AAT MOSA training fosters collaborative efforts with SYSCOMs and other services to deliver the latest technologies to the warfighter faster than ever before.
Business Innovation: PMA-226 Contracted Air Services Team The PMA-226 Contracted Air Services (CAS) team collaborated with Airborne Strategic Command, Control and Communications Program (PMA-271) and Strategic Communications Wing 1 (SCW-1) to develop an innovative acquisition strategy for a Contractor-Owned, Government-Operated aircraft that supported an urgent E-6B requirements for an in-flight trainer. Demonstrating exceptional agility, the team awarded a services contract 18 days ahead of schedule. By streamlining contracting processes and coordinating daily progress reviews, the team transitioned from contract award to live flight operations in under three months. The PMA-226 CAS team's innovative acquisition and contracting processes delivered critical training capabilities for the PMA-271 community, addressing readiness concerns while reducing cost and cycle time.
| Date Taken: | 09.02.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 09.02.2026 14:37 |
| Story ID: | 573801 |
| Location: | MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 29 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Unique approaches and collaborative innovation in acquisition wins awards, by Megan Wasel, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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