WASHINGTON — The Department of the Air Force has named longtime procurement official William Blauser as the acting director of the U.S. Space Force’s Space Development Agency (SDA).
The move, announced Feb. 5, follows the sudden removal of former SDA Director Derek Tournear, who was placed on administrative leave for unspecified reasons related to past contracting activities.
Blauser, who currently serves as the deputy director of the Department of the Air Force’s Rapid Capabilities Office, steps into the role after a two-week interim period during which Lt. Gen. Philip Garrant, the head of Space Systems Command (SSC), temporarily led the agency.
“Given the importance of space acquisition programs, both the Space Development Agency and Space Systems Command require full-time leadership, and the Department of the Air Force has named Mr. Blauser as SDA’s new acting director,” a spokesperson for the Department of the Air Force said in a statement.
Implications for satellite procurements
The abrupt leadership change at SDA has raised concerns across the defense and space industry, particularly regarding the agency’s aggressive push to deploy its Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA), a network of satellites designed to enhance military communications, missile tracking and targeting.
Under Tournear’s leadership, SDA developed a reputation for moving at an unusually fast pace compared to traditional military space programs. Multiple industry sources told SpaceNews that there had been speculation about SDA being folded under the much larger SSC, a move that could have slowed the agency’s streamlined satellite procurement process.
Blauser brings decades of experience in defense and space systems. At the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, he has overseen several high-profile projects, including development of the secretive B-21 stealth bomber and the X-37B military space plane. His resume also includes stints at Sierra Nevada Corporation, where he managed ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) programs, and the National Reconnaissance Office, where he worked on classified spy satellite programs.
The leadership change comes at a critical juncture for SDA, which is preparing to dramatically scale up deployment of its satellite network. The agency has already launched 27 experimental tracking and communications satellites, with dozens more planned for the coming years.
The PWSA represents a departure from traditional military space architecture, which typically relies on small numbers of large, expensive satellites. Instead, SDA plans to deploy hundreds of smaller, cheaper satellites in low Earth orbit, making the network more resilient to potential attacks and easier to upgrade over time.
Lawmakers and industry insiders have credited SDA’s rapid procurement model with accelerating the U.S. military’s ability to field advanced space capabilities, countering threats from China and Russia in orbit.
While the Department of the Air Force has not disclosed details regarding Tournear’s status, insiders indicate that the situation stems from a review of past contracting decisions. The uncertainty surrounding his departure has sparked speculation about whether SDA’s independent approach to procurement will continue under new leadership.
