Improving Integration and Synchronization of Space Acquisition and Fielding

📖 The Scoop

As the newest service in the Armed Forces, one of the key goals of the United States Space Force (USSF) is to accelerate delivery of space capabilities to outpace adversary threats. However, delivering end-to-end space capability requires the integration and synchronization of multiple elements, the development and fielding of which are managed not just by the Department of the Air Force but also by other military departments and federal agencies. The Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration (SAF/SQ) has stated that improving the integration and synchronization of the delivery of space capabilities is a priority. To assist with this priority, the RAND Corporation's Project AIR FORCE identified existing challenges and recommended ways that USSF can facilitate the integration and synchronization of space acquisition and fielding to support the timely delivery of end-to-end space capabilities to the Joint Force. This research expanded beyond integration, including any actions USSF could take that would lead to fielding more-timely, integrated, and synchronized warfighter capabilities. To do this, the research team explored the question from overlapping vantage points that included the stakeholder, operator, and acquisition communities. This included a broad literature review of existing research on U.S. government space-affiliated organizations; more than 60 semistructured interviews of subject-matter experts and senior decisionmakers throughout the Department of Defense, other federal government agencies, and the private sector; and the creation of a visual map of approximately 90 different stakeholders in USSF acquisition and the relationships among them.

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