Transforming Capability Requirements Development in the United States Space Force

📖 The Scoop

To achieve its core mission set, the U.S. Space Force (USSF) must determine the key capabilities it needs and then decide how to pursue them. The objectives of these two critical activities are often in opposition. Operational concepts and threat-informed force designs determine aspirational future operational space needs, while technical feasibility and resourcing budgets limit the affordable materiel options. The translation of an operational need to the acquisition of a materiel solution requires weighing these various objectives, and occurs through the development of operational capability requirements (CRs). The majority of space capabilities that USSF develops, fields, and operates are joint capabilities that enhance other services' military operations. Thus, capability requirements development (CRD) necessitates integrating and coordinating the information, expertise, and objectives of numerous stakeholders and processes across USSF, other services, and the joint community. The complexity of CRD, therefore, may benefit from some level of standardization. There is concern among USSF stakeholders, however, that such standardization could impede USSF's flexibility, agility, and responsiveness to operationally relevant timelines. In the face of the rapid development of potential adversary capabilities in space, USSF needs to fundamentally rethink how it defines requirements. To support this necessary transformation, the USSF Chief Strategy and Resourcing Office (CSRO) asked RAND researchers to identify implementable changes to USSF CRD that leverage best practices in requirements development and digital engineering.

Genre: History / Military / Strategy (fancy, right?)