{"id":32049,"date":"2022-06-13T22:04:23","date_gmt":"2022-06-13T22:04:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2022\/06\/13\/take-the-handcuffs-off-retiring-materiel-command-boss-remains-bullish-on-airmens-innovative-abilities\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T21:11:57","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T21:11:57","slug":"take-the-handcuffs-off-retiring-materiel-command-boss-remains-bullish-on-airmens-innovative-abilities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2022\/06\/13\/take-the-handcuffs-off-retiring-materiel-command-boss-remains-bullish-on-airmens-innovative-abilities\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Take the handcuffs off\u2019: Retiring Materiel Command boss remains bullish on airmen\u2019s innovative abilities"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Air Force Materiel Command boss Gen. Arnold Bunch retired Monday after a nearly 40-year military career. Bunch started out as a B-52H Stratofortress bomber pilot and rose to become the senior uniformed airman in the acquisition, test and sustainment community. He will now begin a new chapter leading the Hamblen County Public School System in Tennessee. Bunch discussed his outlook on military systems procurement in a May 9 interview with Air Force Times. This interview was edited for length and clarity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Q: In the past four decades, you\u2019ve risen to the top of Air Force acquisition. What hindsight does that bird\u2019s eye view offer?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>A: <\/b>There are always things you can go back and look at, but a lot of people made the best decisions they could at the time. I\u2019m proud of where we\u2019re going with our digital campaign and what we\u2019re trying to do to get after software. I continue to be proud of the men and women that I get the privilege of working for. It doesn\u2019t always go perfectly, but the proudest part is watching what they\u2019ve done, how they\u2019ve responded, and what they can do if you actually take the handcuffs off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When the coronavirus pandemic started, they needed a way to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airforcetimes.com\/military-honor\/smoy\/2021\/08\/25\/special-ops-continued-despite-covid-19-this-airman-devised-a-way-to-keep-aircrew-virus-free\/\" target=\"_blank\">transport COVID-positive service members<\/a>. I got an email and, three weeks later, we approved an interim system to fly on C-17s. Then we started a whole new program, and within a couple of months, we had a brand-new system that we prototyped and built, did the engineering analysis, tested and redesigned it and still had it out in the field in that timeframe. We can move at the speed of technology and relevance. We\u2019ve just got to get everybody aligned and working together to make it happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2022\/06\/06\/us-general-ukraine-will-keep-getting-significant-support\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22157507226881.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Top US general: Ukraine will keep getting \u2018significant\u2019 support<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Milley said Russia\u2019s war on Ukraine undermines the rules established by Allied countries after the end of World War II.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Q: What have you learned from responding to materiel needs during the pandemic as well as the war in Ukraine?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A: I heard a senior leader say, \u201cIt\u2019s amazing what we can do when we find ourselves in a crisis. Maybe we ought to create our own crisis every day so we get everybody moving at that speed.\u201d Whether you\u2019re doing a contract, managing money, working in the Child Development Center or doing a test program, every one of those contributes to making sure that airmen are focused and operating with that sense. You\u2019ve got to bring the operational testers, the developmental testers, the maintainers. You\u2019ve got to communicate what the priorities are and make sure you\u2019re moving in that direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1199\" height=\"630\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/covid-C-17.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-71145\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/covid-C-17.jpg.jpg 1199w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/covid-C-17.jpg.jpg?resize=300,158 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/covid-C-17.jpg.jpg?resize=768,404 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/covid-C-17.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,538 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1199px) 100vw, 1199px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">U.S. Air Force Airmen aboard a C-17 Globemaster III begin disinfecting and decontaminating the aircraft after the first-ever operational use of the Transport Isolation System at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, April 10, 2020. The TIS is an infectious disease containment unit designed to minimize contamination risk to aircrew and medical attendants, while allowing in-flight medical care for patients afflicted by a disease\u2014in this case, COVID-19. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Devin Nothstine)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That is how we\u2019ve done the support for Ukraine, with some of the shipping we\u2019ve done, with the work we\u2019ve done on the Mi-17 helicopters, with the other efforts that we\u2019ve got.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Q: Has the Air Force\u2019s efforts to send weapons and other resources to the Ukrainian military made you think about foreign military sales differently?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>A: <\/b>Allies and partners can\u2019t just be a line in the National Defense Strategy. What capabilities are we willing to share with all of our allies, but particularly, with our closest allies?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When you look at AUKUS (the Australia-United Kingdom-United States trilateral military partnership) and what we shared there with submarines, what do we have within the Air Force inventory that we should be sharing with the Australians and the United Kingdom? I think there\u2019s some more opportunities there that we can look at. We also have to continue to look beyond those two very close partners and allies at, how do we share some of the technology with others so that we can make things happen? If we can share submarine technology, we ought to be able to share almost everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/2022\/05\/09\/from-howitzers-to-suicide-drones-pentagon-seeks-right-balance-on-training-ukrainians-on-new-arms\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/7036156.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">From howitzers to suicide drones: Pentagon seeks right \u2018balance\u2019 on training Ukrainians on new arms<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">As the war in Ukraine drags into its third month, the United States is trying to figure out the best way \u2013 and the best pace \u2013 to train Ukrainian troops on how to use the Western arms flooding into the besieged nation.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Q: What couldn\u2019t you get done that you\u2019ll pass on to your successor Gen. Duke Richardson?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>A: <\/b>I\u2019m going to recommend we continue our diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility efforts. I think we\u2019re far out in front of the rest of the Air Force on using data analytics to look for barriers, on discipline for non-uniformed and uniformed airmen. We have a slow cooker issue that a lot of people want to solve with a microwave oven. It will take time to create and build on this foundation. If we pivot away from it now, people will lose faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1199\" height=\"629\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/bunch.jpg_2c08f9.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-71149\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/bunch.jpg_2c08f9.jpg 1199w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/bunch.jpg_2c08f9.jpg?resize=300,157 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/bunch.jpg_2c08f9.jpg?resize=768,403 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/bunch.jpg_2c08f9.jpg?resize=1024,537 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1199px) 100vw, 1199px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gen. Arnold W. Bunch Jr., the head of Air Force Materiel Command, speaks to airmen about diversity and inclusion June 10, 2020, two weeks after the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. (Screenshot from Air Force video)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Software factories are popping up all over the place. I want to retain their innovative nature, but we have to create a methodology to make sure we\u2019re sharing lessons learned, and how to recruit and retain the right talent.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/newsletters\/daily-brief\/2021\/07\/14\/us-air-force-tests-embedding-software-coders-with-industry\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6310221.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">US Air Force tests embedding software coders with industry<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The 67th Cyberspace Wing is sending its personnel to commercial software factories to develop code and software for operational missions.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Q: How do you think AFMC\u2019s mission and manpower needs will change in the next five to 10 years?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>A: <\/b>We\u2019ve started a lot of programs without any manpower coming in and caused a lot of programs to not be properly manned. As we look at software, artificial intelligence, autonomy, machine learning and quantum computing, I think it will change the skill set over time that we need to recruit and we need to retain. When you lose an airman, don\u2019t just hire the job set that you had before, like a mechanical engineer. Analyze it and determine, do I need another mechanical engineer? Or do I need a data analyst, or an artificial intelligence expert?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019m not ready to say that we would be able to reduce manpower through automation. We would be able to get the mission done without as much of it being on the backs of our airmen. We developed a robotic process at Hanscom that can take an ID card from people that want to come on the base, scans that and sends it to all 50 state law enforcement databases. It will tell you if the individual has anything on their record. That alleviates workload on our security forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2022\/06\/02\/heres-how-tinker-air-force-base-cut-heavy-maintenance-time-for-f-35-engines-in-half\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/F-35-at-Tinker.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Here\u2019s how Tinker Air Force Base cut heavy maintenance time for F-35 engines in half<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">\u201cWe\u2019ve got to go faster, the quality needs to stay high. But we\u2019ve got to do it cheaper.\u201d<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Q: How can AFMC build on lessons learned from dysfunction in the KC-46 tanker program, sustainment contracts, etc?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>A: <\/b>When you would fly a mission \u2014 particularly if it did not go well \u2014 you would have a very frank mission debrief about how something got goobered up, but you didn\u2019t hold it against anybody. We\u2019ve got to do something similar in acquisition. We\u2019ve got to be willing to share those lessons learned, so that we can pass them down to the next generation so they don\u2019t relive the same issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"629\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AFWERX.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-71153\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AFWERX.jpg.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AFWERX.jpg.jpg?resize=300,157 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AFWERX.jpg.jpg?resize=768,403 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AFWERX.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,537 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A helmet sits turned on at a booth during AFWERX Helmet Challenge at the Enclave Las Vegas, Nev., in November 2018. AFWERX Las Vegas aims to solve problems for the Air Force by getting entrepreneurs and innovators to come together to brainstorm ideas. (Airman 1st Class Bryan T. Guthrie\/Air Force)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Q: What do you see as the future of the reform initiatives that were spearheaded by people like former Air Force acquisition boss Will Roper?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>A: <\/b>We have embraced a lot of those things and I see them moving forward. AFWERX, Dr. Roper got that up and running and I think we\u2019re still moving out in that direction. It\u2019ll probably get tweaked a little bit. We stood up the Rapid Sustainment Office \u2014 it\u2019s still running, it\u2019s proving its viability. They may not look exactly the way they started or what they wanted them to be, but a lot of those ideas are still moving forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2022\/04\/19\/us-air-force-boeing-lock-down-design-for-kc-46-vision-system-upgrade\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Pegasus-F-16.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">US Air Force, Boeing lock down design for KC-46 vision system upgrade<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The months-overdue agreement sets a path forward for resolving one of the most significant, lingering problems with the Air Force\u2019s newest refueling tanker.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Q: How would you say the \u201cvanguard\u201d programs are faring now?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>A: <\/b>I see it sticking around. I think Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall will look at it as we go into this year\u2019s [program objective memorandum].<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Golden Horde didn\u2019t immediately transition into a program of record. It doesn\u2019t mean that it can\u2019t later, doesn\u2019t mean that certain components of what we did in that digital environment haven\u2019t been plucked out and moved over into other programs to capitalize on them. What we also get out of Golden Horde that I view as a success is, we now have a digital environment at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, where we can bring in weapons ideas and rapidly look at them to determine whether there\u2019s a return on investment or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is a reticence to take that much risk with the budget to put in a program of record, based on the way that, overall, our budgetary process works and how much specificity people want before we start a program of record. Would OSD have scarfed that up, or would Congress have marked that because it wasn\u2019t well enough defined? Those are dialogues we have to have for the future as we push these things out.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gen. Arnold Bunch retired Monday as Air Force Materiel Command boss after nearly 40 years in uniform.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":71138,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":7,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[7,160,36],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3484],"class_list":["post-32049","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-air","category-daily-news-roundup","category-newsletters"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"2HQZRHSR7FFR3PMKJABTACGYV4","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-air-force\/2022\/06\/13\/take-the-handcuffs-off-retiring-materiel-command-boss-remains-bullish-on-airmens-innovative-abilities\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>\u2018Take the handcuffs off\u2019: Retiring Materiel Command boss remains bullish on airmen\u2019s innovative abilities - Defense News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Gen. Arnold Bunch retired Monday as Air Force Materiel Command boss after nearly 40 years in uniform.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018Take the handcuffs off\u2019: Retiring Materiel Command boss remains bullish on airmen\u2019s innovative abilities\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Gen. Arnold Bunch retired Monday as Air Force Materiel Command boss after nearly 40 years in uniform.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2022\/06\/13\/take-the-handcuffs-off-retiring-materiel-command-boss-remains-bullish-on-airmens-innovative-abilities\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Defense News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-06-13T22:04:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-07T21:11:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Rachel S. Cohen\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Rachel S. 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