Michael Dominguez

Air Force
Michael Dominguez
Acting Chief Acquisition Officer

Michael Dominguez was catapulted into the position of acting Air Force secretary and acting chief acquisition officer in March after a procurement scandal created vacancies in the service's civilian chain of command. Former Air Force Secretary James Roche and former acquisition chief Marvin Sambur resigned in January because of the controversy involving

Darleen Druyun, who was sentenced to nine months in prison for favoring the Boeing Co. in procurement negotiations in 2001 and 2002 in return for a high-paying job at the company.

"Our acquisitions-indeed, everything we do in service to the nation-begin with the expectation of integrity," Dominguez told Congress in April. "I am committed to restoring public confidence in our Air Force and its leadership." He also serves as assistant secretary of the Air Force for manpower and reserve affairs.

Part of an Air Force family, Dominguez grew up on bases around the world. After graduating in 1975 from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant. He left the military in 1980 and returned in 1983 as an analyst for the Pentagon's Program Analysis and Evaluation Office, where he moved up to director for planning and analytical support in 1991. He left government again in 1997 but returned in 2001 to join the staff of the Chief of Naval Operations.

With the Air Force reeling from the procurement scandal, the Defense Department announced in March that it was temporarily taking over supervision of nearly two dozen of the service's procurement programs.

At the end of July, the White House nominated Preston "Pete" Geren to be the acting Air Force secretary. Geren is a special assistant to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, responsible for interagency initiatives, legislative affairs and special projects. He awaits Senate confirmation.