Edward C . Aldridge , Jr . Edward " Pete " Cleveland Aldridge Jr . ( born August 18 , 1938 ) has served in many top U . S . Defense Department and defense industry jobs , including as Under Secretary of the Air Force from 1981 – 1986 , Director of the National Reconnaissance Office 1981 - 1988 , and as the Secretary of the Air Force from 1986 - 1988 . From 1989 - 1992 he was president of the Electronic Systems Company division of McDonnell Douglas , and later , CEO of The Aerospace Corporation . He was the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition , Technology and Logistics from 2001 - 2003 . Aldridge was a payload specialist for STS - 62 - A , the first scheduled Space Shuttle mission from Vandenberg Air Force Base . The mission was canceled after the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster , and Aldridge never flew . Career . Aldridge was confirmed as the Pentagon ' s top weapons buyer on May 8 , 2001 . As the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition , Technology and Logistics , he had responsibility for acquisition , research and development , logistics , advanced technology , international programs , environmental security , nuclear , chemical , and biological programs , and the industrial base . In 2002 , during his time as Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition , Technology and Logistics , he authorized the acquisition of the F - 35 ' s before critical developmental testing was finished and stated the F - 35 was " setting new standards for technological advances " and " rewriting the books on acquisition and business practices . " His successor voiced a different opinion in 2012 . " This will make a headline if I say it , but I ' m going to say it anyway , " Frank Kendall said . " Putting the F - 35 into production years before the first test flight was acquisition malpractice . It should not have been done . " As of 2012 . The military has spent $ 373 million to fix planes already bought ; the ultimate repair bill for imperfect planes has been estimated at close to $ 8 billion . He served in a variety of jobs , including : Affiliations . Affiliations included : Education . Aldridge received a Bachelor of Science in aeronautical engineering from Texas A & M University in 1960 and a Master of Science from the Georgia Institute of Technology . Denial of Merchant Mariner ' s Benefits . Secretary Aldridge was a key player in denying veteran ' s status to U . S . Merchant Marine serving from 1939 - 1946 . Despite granting veteran ' s status to WASPs ( who were disbanded in the middle of the war ) Secretary Aldridge referred to the Merchant Marines ( who had the highest casualty rates of the war ) as a " subculture " and " draft dodgers . " Aldridge altered statutes to set the end of WWII as August 15 , 1945 instead of December 31 , 1946 . This resulted in the 1987 case " Schumacher , Willner , et al . , v . Aldridge [ Secretary of the Air Force Edward C . Aldridge , Jr . ] 665 F . Supp . 41 ( D . D . C . 1987 ) . " Although Secretary Aldridge and his U . S . Air Force panel ( who were assigned as " Merchant Marine experts " on the veterans claims board ) lost , he still refused to grant veteran ' s status . Awards . Awards include the Department of Defense Distinguished Civilian Service Award , Secretary of Defense Meritorious Civilian Service Award , and the Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Award . In 2005 , the Space Foundation awarded Aldridge its highest honor , the General James E . Hill Lifetime Space Achievement Award , presented annually to recognize individuals who have distinguished themselves through lifetime contributions to the welfare or betterment of humankind through the exploration , development and use of space , or the use of space technology , information , themes or resources in academic , cultural , industrial or other pursuits of broad benefit to humanity .