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Erich Hernandez-Baquero, U.S. Air Force assistant secretary, pictured Sept. 15, 2026, at the AFA Air, Space and Cyber Conference.
NATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland—The Pentagon has established a new leadership position called the space technology portfolio executive, the department’s new senior executive for space acquisition said Sept. 15.
The new role will serve to bridge the gap between the U.S. Space Force’s new portfolio acquisition executives (PAEs), rapid tech offices such as the Air Force Research Laboratory and commercial partners.
Erich Hernandez-Baquero, who was recently confirmed as the new assistant secretary of the Air Force for space acquisition and integration, said he expects the new executive will connect the PAEs with emerging technologies that align with their respective portfolios.
“I want somebody that's focused 100% on looking at the most promising tech, and driving the prototyping initiatives that are going to help mature it to the level where a PAE can say, ‘Ah, it meets my criteria for this onboard path, and I can go do that,’” Hernandez-Baquero said in a media roundtable here at the Air & Space Force Association’s Air, Space and Cyber Conference.
The technology portfolio executive, or TPE, will also oversee demonstration and prototyping efforts, he said. His office is currently filling the position, Hernandez-Baquero added.
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