The Defense Acquisition Board (DAB) is the senior advisory board for defense acquisitions in the Department of Defense

United States Department of Defense

The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...

 of the United States of America. The board includes the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

The Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is by law the second highest ranking military officer in the United States Armed Forces ranking just below the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff...

, the Service Secretaries (Secretary of the Army

United States Secretary of the Army

The Secretary of the Army is a civilian official within the Department of Defense of the United States of America with statutory responsibility for all matters relating to the United States Army: manpower, personnel, reserve affairs, installations, environmental issues, weapons systems and...

, Secretary of the Navy

United States Secretary of the Navy

The Secretary of the Navy of the United States of America is the head of the Department of the Navy, a component organization of the Department of Defense...

 & Secretary of the Air Force

United States Secretary of the Air Force

The Secretary of the Air Force is the Head of the Department of the Air Force, a component organization within the Department of Defense of the United States of America. The Secretary of the Air Force is appointed from civilian life by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate...

), and a number of Under Secretaries of Defense. The DAB plays an important role in the Defense Acquisition System. Members of this board are responsible for approving the Major Defense Acquisition Programs (MDAPs) and serve as the most important executive review of expensive acquisition projects that would have potentially large impacts on how wars are fought — things like new tank

Tank

A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...

s, fighter aircraft

Fighter aircraft

A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...

, or C3

C4ISTAR

In military usage, a number of abbreviations in the format C followed by additional letters are used, based on expanded versions of the abbreviation C2 - command and control.C2I stands for command, control, and intelligence....

systems.

See DoD Defense Acquisition Guidebook for more information on the process.