t the start of the "Big Five" the acquisition process was loosely structured and essentially Service-run,with Secretary of Defense approval required to initiate major programs and then again for production.Over the years the process was formalized with the introduction of milestone reviews, standardization,and integration with the Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE) process. Goldwater-Nichols created separate defense and Service acquisition executives and pulled the Service Chiefs out ofthe acquisition process. The result remains a linear process with more oversight and bureaucratic requirements.(