The last GPS IIF satellite is encapsulated inside a payload fairing in 2016. (United Launch Alliance)
WASHINGTON: For the Pentagon, 2022 is set to be a year of focus on space acquisition reform. The first two years of the Space Force and its associated reorganizations have set the stage, and now interested parties are looking to see real movement.
One of those interested parties is the space and defense industry, where there appear to be doubts about how much the space acquisition system has changed since the Space Force was set up. Among respondents of the Breaking Defense Space Survey, 37% reported that the Space Force has been “moderately effective” at improving space acquisition, with 29% saying it has been “slightly effective,” and 11% “very effective.”
Notably, while almost 20% of overall respondents believe that the Space Force is not effective “at all” at improving space acquisition, there is a major split between views of DoD and industry: Just 4% of DoD respondents said Space Force hasn’t helped, while 23% of industry respondents held that view.
In the following clip, we asked our panel — Victoria Samson of the Secure World Foundation, Makena Young of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Rosalind Lewis of Aerospace Corp and Breaking Defense’s own space expert, Theresa Hitchens — to weigh in on the issue.
“Just the mindset has helped to be changed by the fact of the space forces standing up,” said Lewis, cautioning the need to patience. “The policy, the actual way we implement, will come as we figure out what’s the best way to proceed in acquiring space systems and capability, particularly in response to the threat.”
