Spatial force ensures that its commercial space strategy is not only another document which is on the shelf.
Using his own strategy, Released in April 2024, In collaboration with the wider commercial space integration strategy of the Ministry of Defense, the leaders of the spatial force aim to bring in private sector technologies which have a direct impact on their mission areas.
Colonel Richard Kniseley, the head of the main equipment of the commercial space office in the command of space systems for space force, said that the agency has taken advantage of the approach to pursue different mission areas which, according to managers, will benefit most from the capacities of the commercial sector.
“We are actively executing a mission are that we just started last year Called Tactical Surveillance, Recognition and Tracking. So (We Are) Tooid Advantage of the Phenomenal Technologies that Are Being Procured by Our Intel Friends at the National Recognition Office (NRO), and Utilizing Commercial Analytics to get the command Commands Very Fast, ”Kniseley Said During a recent afcea dc lunch, an excerpt of which was played on Ask the IOC. “We are doing it at tactical speeds at the moment. So, from the request to competition to the delivery of this product is currently at less than 72 hours, and we obtain, after all, different combatant commands, not only Russia and China, but we are also talking about counter-drug proliferation.”
This example of a program would seem more in line with what the head of space operations, the general, Chance Saltzman wanted first. Space Force delayed the release of the commercial space strategy after Saltzman returned the project to its authors, asking for a more complete and complete roadmap for the industry on how to work with Space Force instead of being an “ambitious” document.
The first war game has just finished
Kniseley said that spatial force is looking at the mind and intention of the strategy is by the reserve of commercial increase space (CASR). CASR is a “framework allowing the spatial force to complete the necessary transition throughout this continuum by concluding pre-negotiated contractual agreements which would be activated in times of crisis or conflict”. CASR’s objective is to identify voluntary commercial participants and to ensure interoperability through training, war games and exercises, while developing pre-negotiated contracts with commercial space companies to provide a capacity for overvoltage if necessary. These services could include: satellite communications; tactical monitoring, recognition and monitoring; and consciousness of the space domain.
He said that understanding during peaceful moments in the way of properly associating with the commercial industry and integrating these capacities will bring in large dividends in the event of a conflict or national emergency.
“I am not shy to say that we started two years ago. We succeeded, rewarding our first set of pilot programs (in March). We have started with the awareness of the space domain, and we also do a missionary analysis for commercial satellite communications. “We also want because our first CASR war game, where we will invite a lot of members of the SATCOM community, and we will have an all commercial war game.”
Spatial force Completed this war game In April, revealing areas of opportunity to better maintain safe and reliable satellite communications in conflict time.
Like Space Force, the defense innovation unit is trying to access commercial technology faster and more easily.
Kate Stowe, the head of the Defense’s commitment to the CYBER at the IUD, said that the organization continues to focus on technology prototypes that could help the combatants.
“It all starts with a very good problem with our Warfighter, and this problem can get out of a program executive office. In fact, I welcome this and I would appreciate it because it means that now I have a partner in transition and maintenance. But we often get them from our users, ”she said. “Once we have this problem, we will put this on the street, it is a total of one to two pages. That’s all you have to read for two weeks. Then we ask in return, if you want to make a proposal, is five pages in total. We do not take more than 5 pages or 15 slides. Writing.
Through the front door
Stowe said that Diu brings together a team of experts to examine proposals and participate in supplier land, which lasts about an hour.
“Now, I asked what five written pages, and if you arrive at the next round of about an hour of your time, we will do our commercial intelligence and all that this process takes place, then we will go down to our contractors, who will negotiate commercial conditions and break down,” she said. “It is much less work than I asked for many (suppliers). It is not a single size. It is a tool in our purchasing toolbox to use, and it is oriented towards commercial technologies and non -traditional prototypes, but I think we can reduce a lot of risk in our programs and get a lot of technologies, much more quickly. ”
Stowe said that the DIU approach has proven not only faster deadlines to obtain capacities in the hands of the combatants, but it reduces the risk of both DOD and the seller.
Space Force also tries to simplify your approach to work with commercial suppliers. Kniseley said that the organization is developing a “gateway”, or a workshop stop so that industry helps to help spatial force understand the capacities of businesses and to show reasonable diligence for the company.
“We are trying to understand your level of technical preparation. We also make a reasonable diligence on your investments. Do you have harmful capital? With whom else have you contracted? From there, we have the discussions and you show your capacity differences or the requirements we have,” he said. “One thing we also learned from the front door is that we try not to hide behind the classification coat. We therefore also examine how to endure a contract for a cost to obtain some authorizations to some of these new startups in order to better understand some of our requirements. But through this front door, we also have mechanisms to make investments. ”
Spatial force Launched Spacewerx in 2020 To better connect with commercial space companies.
“One of the things I did when I entered this chair for the first time Spacewerx allocated 75% of their budget to phase one contracts. If you know what a phase one contract is, these are contracts of $ 75,000, where you get excellent paper studies, but what are we doing here? Kniseley said. “What I did has taken an opinion on the maturity of the commercial market, and we have pivoted this budget, so it is now 40% to go to the strategic increase in financing (Stratfi). So now, we are looking to get things more in the Kingdom of the prototype, then it helps us to reject this death valley a little more so that I can work with the PEOs to transform these capacities now into a more recorded program or a capacity of files. “”
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