The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, or ASD (A), is one of three assistant secretaries reporting to the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment.

[2] The position is the principal advisor to the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, the Deputy Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of Defense on matters relating to acquisition program management; the Department of Defense Acquisition System; and the development of strategic, space, intelligence, tactical warfare, command and control, and business systems.

[3] The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition's priority, is to deliver a Defense Acquisition System that is flexible, tailorable, and enables speed, and is able to deliver capability at the point of need.

Currently, the office is focused on transitioning from an acquisition system that is expensive, slow, and burdensome towards one involving reduced timelines, lower costs, and improved quality.

[2] The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition has the following people reporting to them:[4]