Space Alert

As the Space and Missile Systems Center works to establish a more enterprise-focused approach to operational command and control, a Space Defense Task Force is working to incorporate new software development and delivery concepts and to ensure that those deliveries are cybersecure.

The Air Force released a combined request for proposals this week for five Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle missions that will be awarded later this year.

The White House Office of Management and Budget told Congress in a recent report that significant changes to space organization within the Defense Department, including the option to create a separate 'Space Force,' are "not only prudent, but also necessary" -- an apparent departure from DOD's stance on space organizational reform.

As momentum picks up on efforts to modernize the GPS enterprise, the Air Force and Lockheed Martin are working to mitigate demand for a key testing resource.

The Air Force has signed a cooperative research and development agreement with Orbital ATK that puts the company on a path to compete with SpaceX and the United Launch Alliance to fly national security space missions.

Deputy Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan told reporters this week that the likely new Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Mike Griffin is a possible candidate to take over the duties of the principal Defense Department space adviser role after Congress terminated the position and stripped those responsibilities from the Air Force secretary in the Fiscal Year 2018 National Defense Authorization Act.

The Navy plans to increase man-portable and vehicle-based platform terminals beginning in 2018 and 2019 for its Mobile User Objective System (MUOS), according to documents viewed by Inside the Navy.

The Government Accountability Office is recommending the Defense Department designate an organization to manage, collect and distribute test data for the Military GPS User Equipment program, which the watchdog agency says faces significant risk of cost increases and schedule delays.

With approximately 70 percent of the Army's combat platforms reliant upon space-based capabilities and adversaries honing their disruptive capabilities, the service is working to enhance its defenses and pursue alternatives.