Brent Ingraham sworn in as next Army acquisition chief

Brent Ingraham was sworn in as the Army's next assistant secretary for acquisition, logistics and technology Monday, the service announced in a news release.

Ingraham was nominated for the role in April and appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee in late June.

The Senate confirmed Ingraham Sept. 18 by a 51-47 vote that was along party lines, with two senators not voting, according to a congressional notice.

In advance policy questions sent to the committee prior to his June 26 hearing, Ingraham wrote that Army requirements must be “agile, flexible and adaptable,” as opposed to being so prescriptive that they tie acquisition programs to “unachievable or outdated technology.”

Ingraham also said he would ensure requirements are properly vetted for cost, schedule and performance risks, and use a series of acquisition panels to ensure this is adhered to.

Ingraham’s answers to the committee echoed service Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George and Secretary Dan Driscoll’s calls to get away from long-term programs of record and divest from technology that is no longer relevant on the battlefield.

Ingraham most recently had been performing the duties of deputy under secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, in which he handled matters “pertaining to acquisition, contract administration, logistics and materiel readiness, installations and environment, operational energy” as well as other areas, according to the Army. Prior to that role, he served as the deputy assistant secretary of defense for platform and weapon portfolio management, in which he managed “major platforms and weapons capability portfolios,” across the Pentagon.

As acquisition chief, Ingraham will oversee more than 550 acquisition programs totaling about $170 billion. He succeeds Jesse Tolleson Jr, who had been serving in the role in an acting capacity during the Trump administration, and Doug Bush, who served as acquisition chief during the Biden administration.