National Security Space

AIA Position StatementLook Toward the Future

National security space includes all military and intelligence community uses of space-based capabilities. While all Department of Defense (DOD) services and combatant commands rely on space and have internal space activities, the U.S. Space Force (USSF) and U.S. Space Command are DOD’s lead service and warfighting command for space, respectively. The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) provides a similar function for the intelligence community. Other national security space organizations include the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), National Security Agency (NSA), National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), and Space Development Agency (SDA).

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Bipartisan Support and Budget Stability

To outpace the rapidly advancing adversary threat, real dollar increases across these organizations are needed in the out years for the U.S. Space Force and space activities within other DoD and IC agencies.

Acquisition

Continue to enhance the acquisition system for space programs. U.S. Space Force has the charge from Congress and DoD leadership to create an acquisition system suited for the unique needs of space programs and to rapidly acquire and field new capabilities. We further support statutory and policy modifications which enable the programmatic and budgetary flexibility required to acquire space systems at the speed of operational relevancy against advancing threats. Additional acquisition priorities can be found in this Acquisition Paper.

Architecture

Prioritize investments toward an open and interoperable national security space architecture that optimizes operational capabilities of current programs, evolves to address emerging threats, and enhances U.S. commercial capabilities. Increased resiliency in these architectures, comprised of systems of varying capability and orbital regime, will evolve, enhance, and expand the innovative and competitive space industrial base required for long-term success. During this evolution, it is important that the Space Force continue to ensure industry partner involvement -both those who already support the defense space enterprise and potential new entrants –early and throughout the force design process. Increasing the engagement between industry and government on policy, requirements, and acquisition is essential to developing the capabilities to preserve, protect, and defend space capabilities that contribute to U.S and Allied joint all-domain operations while minimizing capability gaps, and risks to schedule, interoperability, and the space industrial base.

Classification

Reduce over-classification to improve the acquisition process, capability delivery times, and operations information sharing, including removing duplicative classification of the same programs and architectures amongst different DOD and intelligence community organizations.

National Security Space Workforce

Ensure the U.S. Space Force reforms how DOD operates space platforms and develops and utilizes its cadre of space professionals. AIA supports development of the U.S. Space Force workforce to recruit, retain, train, and educate the diverse cadre of space experts the service needs. Workforce Op-Ed

Supply Chain Resiliency

Assure space supply chain resiliency, which is dependent on specialized materials, technologies, and workforce, such as the supply of onshore, space-qualified, radiation-hardened microelectronics, carbon fiber composites, raw materials for digital manufacturing, and solar cells.