In the News

Space Force Chief: DoD Must Work to Ensure Strong • Build sufficient and efficient power for space transport Space Industrial Base systems. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE NEWS (AUG. 3, 2020) David Vergun • Develop space manufacturing and space resource extrac- A secure, stable, and accessible space domain is of vital tion. interest to the United States. However, leadership in space is not a right, and nations such as Russia and China are racing • Develop plans to protect, support, and leverage commerce to catch up to Defense Department capabilities and deny the in space. benefits from this domain, the Space Force’s top leader said. • Economically stimulate space industries through space Space Force Gen. John W. ‘’Jay’’ Raymond, chief of Space bonds and a space commodities exchange and execute $1 Operations, said the current U.S. advantage stems from its billion of existing DoD and NASA funding through this robust and innovative space industrial base. exchange.

The 2020 Defense Space Strategy recognizes that commer- • Develop a framework for creating wealth and security with cial space activities have expanded globally in both volume allies and partners. and diversity. As such, Raymond said, the Space Force must leverage the technologies at the frontier of this commercial • Develop a U.S. space workforce steeped in science, tech- expansion and move quickly to reap the benefits of improv- nology, engineering, and math to fill more than 10,000 ing capability and affordability to be an effective partner for jobs domestically. American industry. • Protect industry and entrepreneur intellectual property. ‘’By working with commercial partners, we will harness the best of both civil and government technology to fur- • Increase trust and resilience in space supply chains includ- ther accelerate capabilities and expand the overall space ing subcomponent and subsystem manufacturers of criti- economy,’’ he said. cal manufacturers. Subcomponent manufacturers, such as solar cell producers, face significant pressure from foreign The 2020 State of the Space Industrial Base Workshop producers. brought together more than 120 voices from across the fed- eral government, industry, and academia to assess the health DoD Innovation Speed Must Increase to Modernize of the space industry and to provide recommendations for DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE NEWS (AUG. 7, 2020) strengthening that industrial base. Terri Moon Cronk The Defense Department must be more innovative and act The themes upon which the conference was based were faster in its pursuit of putting new technology in warfighters’ published last month in a report titled ‘’State of the Space hands, director of the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) said. Industrial Base 2020: A Time for Action to Sustain U.S. Economic and Military Leadership in Space.’’ Speaking on a panel at the Aspen Security Forum in Aspen, Colorado, yesterday, Michael Brown said while the five- While the report does not necessarily represent the views of year-old DIU has been successful since former Defense Sec- DoD or other government agencies, Raymond said, it offers retary stood it up in 2015, more needs to be done. valuable insights on the path ahead. The themes are: • Build a unity of effort across government, academia, and DIU is a DoD organization Carter founded to help the U.S. the private sector to incentivize the space industrial base. military make faster use of emerging commercial technolo- gies. • Enhance space communications; satellites; and, position- ing, navigation, and timing. “I feel like we’re just scratching the surface,” Brown said, while adding that DIU has accomplished a lot in five years. • Improve space transportation and logistics from Earth to “We probably influence about $500 million worth of de- orbit and beyond. fense procurement. Big number in absolute terms, but … what defense buys is probably [up to] $400 billion a year. • Develop systems for human space exploration. Depending on the year, we’re a small drop in that bucket.”

Defense Acquisition: November-December 2020 2 In the News

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken in the Dragon crew capsule prepares to launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., May 30, 2020. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Kelly Goonan

To energize the flow of commercial technology into the Pentagon—the purpose of DIU—DoD needs to do a lot of Many of the technologies that DIU wants to prototype are things to make it easier for successful entrepreneurs who not developed yet, he said, adding, “We need to be quick have the creativity, and vision and initiative to be successful on our feet to be able to prototype, test in military applica- with DoD, he said. tion, and then have a rapid uptake to get those vendors into production.” “But we’ve got to increase the scale of this effort because [of] the game-changing technologies that we face in com- We have to change what is now about a two-year process, petition with China, where we need to make investments: he said, if we want to have the flexibility to incorporate the , cyber autonomous systems, biotech- most innovative technology. nology—the list goes on,” Brown said. “That could happen with bigger budgets that are focused on DIU is ready to pick up the challenge, he added, but it needs innovation; it can happen by trying to speed up that process,” to happen across the country to really take advantage of the Brown noted. innovations, he said. DoD now has the variety of authorities to tailor the contract- “We’re not moving in government at an agile pace that re- ing instrument to what we’re buying, he said. flects the nature of the competition. It’s about speed,” the DIU director said. “When we have successful prototypes “But the speed is now all about the budgeting process. And that we’ve done, it’s difficult for the budgeting process to that requires work with Congress.” catch up and the Services to catch up.”

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“We have to develop a relationship that involves trust so that to change the Air Force’s culture of innovation. there is more budget flexibility,” he added. “Artificial intelligence is a tool that can be used to enhance To move faster, DoD must categorically reject that two years processes and to learn more about how something oper- is required to agree on the war-fighting concept and get ates,” McEvoy said. “AI is very good at determining patterns Congress to approve it, Brown said, adding, “That’s too based on data. It can ingest so much data and pick up on slow in a competition with China.” minute differences.

In addition to speeding up the budget process, “[We] need “A simple thing that everyone interacts with is when you’re to be bolder in terms of our experimentation,” Brown said. typing a search in and it recommends what it thinks “The world is moving way too fast in the technologies that you’re typing. Even things like Netflix uses an algorithm to are commercial ... In the commercial world, we really can’t guess what you might like to watch next.” wait for that, or we’re going to be behind in terms of what we’re delivering to warfighters.” Another example of AI would be the data-driven Tesla, a private sector company that uses AI in its autonomous ve- DoD must be given more flexibility to experiment, and then hicles. The vehicles pool data into a centralized location that use the commercial sector where it can inspire much more acts as a nervous system, which then feeds the information competition and let the taxpayer dollars stretch further, back out to improve the vehicle’s reliability. Brown said. Within her own project, McEvoy is developing AI to en- “This is going to be a bright spot in an environment where hance spectral awareness and assist in detecting anomalies the defense budgets are flattening,” he added. in radio-frequency signals—infinitesimal changes can allow a program to know if a signal is being interfered with. AF AI Accelerator Brings Future Faster 20TH FIGHTER WING PUBLIC AFFAIRS (AUG. 11, 2020) “Each project has the goal in mind of having an impact in Staff Sgt. Destinee Sweeney the broader AI community in general,” McEvoy said. “For SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C.—Mankind has often my project in particular, it would be the development of dreamed of what the future may hold. Every advancement in a next generation spectrum analyzer, which can separate technology opens minds to dream bigger and better. Imagi- signals into multiple components. This currently doesn’t nation is the only final frontier as the human race ventures exist and can help the communication systems in the out- deeper into what were previously lightly treaded-upon ter- side world cite transmitters and understand the interference ritories. environment.”

Artificial intelligence is one of those territories; and it’s not Currently, the team has ten different projects on three-year the infamous Skynet that fuels dystopian nightmares. contracts, with an Airman leading each one. Each project aims to benefit not only the military but also the civilian “Decades and decades of science fiction media have basi- world, and the team also participates in senior leader educa- cally told people that if you have military and involve them tion, outreach, and consultation. in AI, you get killer robots—autonomous machines that are designed to kill all humans,” said Col. Randy Gordon, for- The projects include items that will improve upon image mer AI Accelerator director. “If you peek behind the curtains processing, disaster response, training schedules, navigation to see what AI really is, you start to see just how far-fetched capabilities, and weather prediction. that is.” McEvoy and Gordon stressed that although AI can present Capt. Lindsey McEvoy is the chief of AI Research for the amazing opportunities in pushing technology forward, it is Air Force’s AI Accelerator, a hand-selected group of 11 ac- mainly to absorb and find patterns in data and is no replace- tive duty Airmen and three Air Force Reservists from mul- ment for a human counterpart. tiple career fields stationed in Cambridge, Massachusetts, partnering with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology “AI is a great tool to help and assist, but it won’t replace and Lincoln Labs to assist in developing new ways to use somebody,” McEvoy said. “The combination of a human AI, ensuring the tool is interwoven into current operations and a computer team is way more powerful. It’s not the and the information is accessible by the public while aiming end-all, be-all to solve everything.”

Defense Acquisition: November-December 2020 4 In the News

believes sending operational Airmen to Cambridge to work Aside from the technological advancements, the novel unit with MIT was the best way to channel the best of AI capa- has deviated from the standard military cultural setting of bilities into military use. creativity. The team hopes their assignment inspires others to aim high “We’ve only been in existence truly for a little bit over six in their pursuits and to give them something to look forward months now,” Gordon said. “There’s already tangible spi- to in their careers. noffs that are coming out and that’s largely a result of going about this in a way that the Air Force traditionally does not “We have such talented Airmen and some of them get out,” do.” McEvoy said. “They don’t see the innovation happening. We’re here to inspire people, for them to see that there is Gordon said some units have already started implementing cool stuff going on that is actually making a difference.” one of these programs, called Puckboard, to optimize their training schedules. The current training schedule status quo McEvoy said last year they requested proposals from both largely relies on individual skill and experience. the Air Force and MIT and then matched, evaluated, and narrowed down the proposals from around 120 projects to “Eventually you can develop a really good scheduler who the current chosen ten. This summer, they plan to call for can see beyond the curve but it takes a long time and a se- more proposals. ries of trial and error to be able to do that. The moment that scheduler retires or [makes a permanent change of station], Together with their civilian academic counterparts, the AI all of that knowledge is gone and we start all over again. Accelerator team hopes to change the world for the better, We’re essentially relearning the same war year after year developing technology to assist people in their everyday for the past 30 years.” lives and keeping up with today’s standards of national se- curity. According to Gordon, their success largely hinges on the large amount of expressive freedom and their adaptation “Other nation states around the world are developing this. into the civilian world. They’re building it, not necessarily with the same values that we as an American society would bring to it,” Gordon said. “We had our pick in terms of who we brought onto the team,” Gordon said. “We were looking for incredible Air- “The ability of a military to develop this technology but to men who really knew what they were doing, and we essen- do it in a way that is consistent with the values of democracy tially let them go. We let them have free rein as far as where and freedom [is important]. That’s why all of our work is they need to take the project and how far it needs to go. It’s open and we’re doing this with MIT—it’s not classified hid- been pretty awesome.” den in a Department of Defense lab somewhere.”

About 40% of the team participated in the Education With DoD Officials Discuss Framework for Advancing Di- Industry program, where they were temporarily assigned rected Energy Weapons to do a fellowship with private companies for a year as an DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE NEWS (AUG. 11, 2020) educational opportunity. Team members were also selected David Vergun based on their diverse interests and go-getter attitudes. The Defense Department is developing directed energy weapons—high-powered lasers and microwaves—in con- “We needed to know that they were passionate about this cert with industry in a way designed to achieve optimal mission, that they were cool working with people who have outcomes. no idea what the AF is and to be good ambassadors; that they could work well together, and that they were comfort- Two DoD officials discussed the importance of developing able working in a world where there wasn’t an Air Force an efficient and effective modular open system architecture, Instruction they could pull off the wall and read,” Gordon or MOSA, at the Booz Allen Hamilton-sponsored Directed said. “We needed self-starters who could take an ill-defined Energy Series today: Chris Behre, the lead for directed en- task and make it into something really beautiful. That’s how ergy, modular open system architecture in the Office of the we got our guys.” Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering and technical director of the Surface Navy Laser Weapon Bringing together the civilian and military world, Gordon

5 Defense Acquisition: November-December 2020 In the News

Captured by a special camera, a laser beam, invisible to the naked eye, shoots across the dark expanse of the David Taylor Model Basin at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Bethesda, Md., May 23, 2019. Photo by Leonard Pieton

System Portfolio for Naval Surface Warfare Center’s Dahl- niche capabilities would want to compete, he said, and there gren Division, and Dr. Sean Ross, the deputy High Energy could be an increase in small business involvement and in- Laser Technical Area lead and prototyping liaison for the novation. Air Force Research Laboratory. Laser weapons system subsystems include thermal manage- MOSA is important because it allows components and sub- ment, laser weapon controller, beam control, laser source, systems of the weapon to be standardized, Behre said. That and power management, he noted. Industries that specialize will allow for incremental system upgrades and minimize in any of these subsystems would find a ready market within obsolescence, he explained, while reducing costs and short- DoD if their designs show promise, he said. ening the developmental timeline. MOSA allows for flexibility and not overprescribing, Ross One way to think of MOSA is as “guard rails to guide said, citing two examples. things—not hard-level requirements that stifle innovation,” Behre said. Teams of engineers and DoD officials from each Within a laser system, the operating temperature of the di- of the Services and the are work- odes is one of the most important factors in laser effec- ing on developing a MOSA draft that will be available for tiveness, he said. “It is one of the major swap drivers with comment by the acquisition community and industry in less competing effects,” he continued. “The higher the diode than a year, he added. It’s important that this work on MOSA temperature, the less efficient the laser is. However, the ther- standards is being done early in the process before programs mal management system works most efficiently with higher of record emerge, he said. diode temperatures. So deciding an arbitrary temperature in the MOSA standard would be very risky and result in a Ross said that if MOSA is done right, it has strong potential suboptimal system.” to decrease market barriers. Nontraditional vendors with Defense Acquisition: November-December 2020 6 In the News

The second example is based on the standard that the higher century, we must use every lever at our disposal to protect the voltage used in the laser, the lower the required weight and supercharge our innovative capabilities,” the acting un- of the copper conductive wires, he said. If the voltage is dersecretary said. “When we continually have the most ad- too high, he explained, there would be arcing and a corona vanced technology, we maximize the lethality of our force, effect—two undesirable outcomes. ensure our continued economic and military dominance, and promote peace and prosperity for all Americans and all na- The solution, Ross said, is for the government to come up tions who value freedom.” with broad standards, letting industry come up with the finer details. The Defense Department is crucial to this national effort. Kratsios announced three main priorities for the Office of A successful MOSA standard is one that gets industry ex- Research and Engineering to advance America’s global tech- cited and eager to take on the challenges and run with it, nology leadership: he said. If the MOSA standards make no sense, he added, • Leveraging the DoD’s unique testing authorities to acceler- everyone will just ignore them, and innovation and competi- ate innovation. tion will come to a halt. • Strengthening the department’s research and development DoD Tech Chief Lays Out Vision for U.S. Technology partnerships with startups and smaller innovators. Leadership DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE NEWS (AUG. 13, 2020) • Enhancing strategic R&D collaboration with America’s in- America’s economic and military dominance lies in innova- ternational allies. tion, and the Defense Department’s new technology chief is looking to strengthen and maintain the nation’s position as On his first priority, Kratsios argued that the department’s the global leader in emerging technologies. unique authorities and unrivaled testing environments allow DoD to pursue innovation at a scale and scope unattainable Michael Kratsios was designated the acting undersecretary by the private sector. of Defense for Research and Engineering on July 13. He also serves at the White House as U.S. Chief Technology “Perhaps counterintuitively for a government agency, the Officer, leading national technology policies on artificial DoD’s research and development enterprise has remained intelligence, quantum computing, and 5G communications. relatively free from regulatory capture,” he said. “In our mis- sion to defend our nation’s interests and equip our fighting In his first remarks as acting undersecretary, Kratsios laid forces, we must take advantage of this freedom to maneuver, out his vision and priorities at a virtual event hosted by leveraging every authority and option we have at the DoD Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging to enhance research and testing.” Technology. Kratsios noted that the department’s ongoing work to test “Great power competition has once again emerged as our 5G on military bases is a great example of the advantages nation’s greatest security concern,” he said. “An emboldened DoD can bring to researching and piloting cutting-edge and increasingly aggressive Chinese Communist Party is technologies. building and deploying some of the most advanced weap- ons in the world while using their newfound economic and Explaining the second priority, Kratsios said DoD must technological power to undermine our safety, our security, continue to invest in research and development, and reach and our freedom.” out to the private sector and academia to find and advance critical innovations. The United States is responding to the Chinese challenge, and maintaining technological dominance is key, Kratsios “We must do more to bring the incredible advances currently said. being made in academia and private industry to bear on the department’s most difficult challenges,” he said. Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper has given clear march- ing orders: modernize the military with advanced technolo- Recognizing the barriers many startups and smaller com- gies and protect those technologies. panies face in partnering with the DoD, Kratsios said, “We are committed to redoubling our efforts to break down regu- “To preserve American superiority and security in the 21st latory barriers and bureaucratic hurdles ensuring that all 7 Defense Acquisition: November-December 2020 In the News

Pentagon Research and Engineering Chief Michael Kratsios remotely reaches out to Georgetown’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology, Aug. 11, 2020. Photo by Lisa Ferdinando companies, no matter their size, have the opportunity to defines them,” he said. “As we find ourselves, once more, do business with the department. To succeed against our in a world being shaped by great power competition, we adversaries, the DoD must truly embrace all parts of our can take heart in the knowledge that we will not ignore, or innovative ecosystem.” dismiss, or shirk from the obligation before us. With our technology, intelligence, institutions, and resources—and His third priority doubles down on the importance of the most importantly, our resilience and our spirit—we will United States engaging with international allies to promote prevail and remain secure, prosperous, and free.” technological advancement. New Space Force Is at Forefront of Technology “Using our combined resources and expertise, the United DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE NEWS (AUG. 19, 2020) States and our allies can and will develop technologies that Terri Moon Cronk support our mutual defense and counteract authoritarian The Space Force can learn what adversaries are doing be- technologies developed by our adversaries,” he maintained. fore any other nation knows because of the Defense Depart- ment’s exquisite intelligence, surveillance, and reconnais- “We will not stand idly by and watch as adversarial nations sance capabilities, the mobilization assistant to the chief of seek to steal our achievements, weaponize our technologies Space Operations said. against us, and subvert the free and prosperous order that we and our allies have built.” “We can share information over our global communication networks because of the persistence and the global reach The new acting undersecretary said he is focused on the that we have,” Space Force Maj. Gen. Kimberly A. Crider future and committed to ensuring that the defense innovation said during a “Tech Up With Women” webinar yesterday. ecosystem—and the entire U.S. innovation ecosystem—re- main the envy of the world. Because space can offer so many advantages to the nation, the decision was made to focus on it as an independent “Every generation of Americans has faced a challenge that

Defense Acquisition: November-December 2020 8 In the News

Space Force Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond, chief of Space Operations, displays the Space Force’s uniform at the Pentagon, Jan. 17, 2020. Photo by Air Force Tech Sgt. Robert Barnett entity that can work in concert with air, ground, and mari- and assets that are in any domain. time needs and provide complementary capabilities to U.S. national security leadership, she said. Technology is changing fast, and there’s a lot of it, Crider said. “Space Force … is the latest and greatest thing that’s going on, absolutely, here at the Pentagon,” the general said. “But “There are so many areas where we apply technology, and I would argue it’s the biggest thing that’s going on right now all of our careers and all of our jobs are affected by technol- for our country in terms of the capability that we bring to ogy,” she said. “So it’s really important, and we believe in bear as an independent Service, to protect and defend all of the Space Force it’s very important to have a good, solid the Services that we depend upon every single day, coming level of understanding of some of the basic concepts that from space.” are driving our technologies today.

Space Force became a military service Dec. 20. “We have “Technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine really been launching off like a rocket getting this Service learning are concepts that are important to understand. It’s in place,” Crider said. The Space Force’s motto is “Semper also important to know when and how to apply them, how Supra,” which means “always above,” she added. they’re being used today, and what it means to use artificial technology to help people do their jobs better and more ef- The Services rely on satellite communications, and the avail- fectively and to allow machines to do things that humans ability of those communications anywhere around the world normally would do,” the general said. is necessary, the general said. So the Space Force must be Defense Innovation Unit Announces sUAS Product able to make those Services reliable, resilient, and secure Availability to Provide Secure, Capable, Small Un- for those who need them, Crider said. If missiles are being manned Aerial Systems for Critical Uses Across the launched, she said, the United States must know where Government: Culmination of an 18-Month Effort Will they’re going and must be able to protect any of its forces

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Spur Stronger U.S. Drone Industrial Base for Future dio, Teal, and Vantage Robotics. Innovation DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE NEWS (AUG. 20, 2020) To this aim, the drones will be made available on the GSA The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), a Department of schedule starting in September 2020 to ensure ease of pro- Defense (DoD) organization that accelerates commercial curement and to ensure availability government-wide. DoD technology for national defense, announced the availability entities can also pursue a production contract via Other of five U.S.-manufactured drone configurations to provide Transaction Authority, leveraging the scaling option of trusted, secure, small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) DIU’s Commercial Solution Opening. options to the U.S. Government. Ellen Lord, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and The announcement is the culmination of an 18-month effort Sustainment, added: “Blue sUAS is a great example of DoD with DIU’s initial work supporting the U.S. Army’s Short acquisition reform by lowering the barrier to entry for non- Range Reconnaissance (SRR) program of record for sUAS. traditional companies to rapidly iterate shoulder to shoulder The SRR program is developing an inexpensive, rucksack- with warfighters to deliver highly capable sUAS tailored to portable, vertical take-off and landing small, unmanned air- mission needs.” craft that provides the small unit with a rapidly deployed DIU seeks to build upon the success of the Blue sUAS effort situational awareness tool. by leveraging best in class commercial innovation on a regu- lar cadence that ensures sustained technological dominance Small drones have been widely available in consumer mar- against our nation’s adversaries. kets since the early 2010s and have notably been adopted by foreign military forces and non-state actors alike as in- “We need an alternative to Chinese-made small drones, and expensive tools to gain a bird’s-eye view of the battlefield. Blue sUAS is a first step in achieving that objective,” said However, until now, the DoD has not had the opportunity to Mike Brown, director of the Defense Innovation Unit. adopt these systems safely. Recognizing the demand signal across the federal government for trusted and secure sUAS, “Working across DoD and the U.S. Government aggregates DIU took the lead in developing systems that are broadly the business opportunity for these five vendors and enhances applicable to an array of users and mission sets. Coined Blue the long-term viability of this capability for the U.S. and sUAS, this spinoff effort builds upon the Army’s initial suc- our allies.” cess and offers sUAS that mirror the air vehicle and software architecture of SRR but provides alternative ground control- About Defense Innovation Unit ler and radio configurations to accommodate a variety of The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) was started in August users across the federal government. 2015 to rebuild the department’s relationship with the com- mercial technology sector. As one of the first “experimental” “Blue sUAS represents a tremendous first step toward build- innovation organizations, DIU connects its DoD partners ing a robust and trusted UAS domestic industrial base that with leading commercial technology companies. DIU is the ensures sustained delivery of highly capable, secure UAS only DoD organization focused exclusively on fielding and to the warfighters that depend on it,” said Michael Kratsios, scaling commercial technology across the U.S. military at acting undersecretary of defense for research and engineer- commercial speeds. DIU is primarily focused on five tech- ing. nology areas where the commercial sector is operating at the leading edge: AI, autonomy, cyber, human systems, and He added, “Blue sUAS showcases how we can both work space. Learn more about portfolios and projects at http:// with small, nontraditional companies and our allies and part- www.diu.mil. ners to quickly pilot cutting-edge technologies that support our mutual defense.” Defense Acquisition System Directive Goes into Effect DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE NEWS (SEPT. 9, 2020) Both SRR and Blue sUAS comply with Section 848 of the On Sept. 8, 2020, Deputy Secretary of Defense David L. National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 Norquist signed into effect DoD Directive 5000.01, The De- that prohibits operating or procuring unmanned aircraft sys- fense Acquisition System. In support of the National De- tems manufactured in China. The five companies whose fense Strategy, the Defense Acquisition System develops products will be made available for purchase on the GSA a more lethal force based on U.S. technological innovation schedule by September 2020 include Altavian, Parrot, Sky- and a culture of performance that yields a decisive and sus- tained U.S. military advantage.

Defense Acquisition: November-December 2020 10 In the News

The joint kill web has to enable DoD’s defensive systems DoDD 5000.01 is the overarching directive that describes and its offensive systems, Karbler said. the principles governing the acquisition process and em- phasizes six main tenets of acquisition implemented via “If the adversary launches at us, we’re going to the joint kill the Adaptive Acquisition Framework. Representing one of web [to] enable us to censor any sensor by shooter to en- the most transformational changes to acquisition policy in gage,” he said. He noted it also will allow DoD, integration- decades, the DoDD 5000.01 re-write was part of a compre- wise, to offensively respond with whatever capability that it hensive redesign of the DoD 5000 Series acquisition poli- might have from air to surface. cies, which were streamlined and modernized to empower program managers, facilitate flexibility, and enhance our “The Army is working very hard on long-range precision ability to deliver capability at the speed of relevance. fires to be able to counter what that adversary brings to us,” Karbler said. DoDD 5000.01 can be found at https://www.esd.whs.mil/ Directives/issuances/DoDD/. To learn more about the Adap- In terms of DoD’s vision for 2030, the department will seek tive Acquisition Framework, visit https://aaf.dau.edu/. out those opportunities where it makes sense to work with Senior Defense Officials Discuss 2030 Missile De- allies and partners in missile defense, Anderson said. fense “We talked before about defending the homeland. What’s DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE NEWS (SEPT. 11, 2020) also very critical when we talk about missile defense is the Terri Moon Cronk regional context,” he noted. Three senior Defense Department officials took part in a discussion about missile defense capabilities in 2030 and Anderson also said both China and Russia would seek to the demands of tomorrow at the Missile Defense 2030 sym- overwhelm the U.S. and its allies early in a particular theater posium. and impede the flow of allied forces.

Yesterday’s panel included James H. Anderson, acting un- Because of this, it’s vital in a regional context for the United dersecretary of defense for policy; Navy Vice Admiral Jon States to have a robust integrated air and missile defense. A. Hill, director of the Missile Defense Agency; and Army Lt. Gen. Daniel L. Karbler, commander of the Army Space “That’s why we have had these collaborative efforts, and and Missile Defense Command. we will seek out them going forward, as well,” he added.

“When you look at 2030, we’re looking at advanced ballistic Military Must Continue Progress to Deter Competitors missiles, [and] we know they’re going to maneuver hyper- DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE NEWS (SEPT. 11, 2020) sonic threats and cruise missile threats,” Hill said. “That’s Jim Garamone a very challenging place to be.” The U.S. military has seen tremendous progress in readiness, equipment, processes, and personnel over the past five years, When you get into ground-based missile defense or mid- and the United States must continue on that road in order to course defense for protection of the United States, we are deter Russia and China, Deputy Defense Secretary David L. working very Intensely on the service-life extension pro- Norquist told attendees of the virtual Defense News Confer- gram, along with the reliability program that takes us beyond ence yesterday. He spoke about the changing threats, U.S. just the analytical, he added. “We now have hardware and military moves, and what the future may hold. equipment tied into that thanks to very great support coming from Congress, as well as the department.” Russia and China saw America’s preoccupation with violent extremism after the events of 9/11 as a “strategic opportu- That support, Hill said, will help DoD increase and extend nity” to catch up to the United States military, Norquist said. the life of the existing fleet, which he said is vital. “China and Russia noted how we fought and began design- “While we have to also compete in parallel with the next ing their militaries and capabilities to counter our strengths generation interceptor, … by closing that gap with a very and exploit our weaknesses,” he said. strong liability program for the fleet today, and bringing on a new interceptor that will tie into the ground systems and into And they have closed the gap. China invested heavily in the sensors, [it] is going to be pretty formidable,” Hill said. its army, increasing the budget by an average of 10 percent per year. Since 2001, China has launched its first domes- 11 Defense Acquisition: November-December 2020 In the News

Air Force Cadet 2nd Class Eric Hembling uses a Ludwieg Tube to measure the pressures, temperatures, and flow field of various basic geometric and hypersonic research vehicles at Mach 6 in the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Department of Aeronautics, Jan. 31, 2019. Photo by Joshua Armstrong tic aircraft carrier; demonstrated the ability to shoot down satellites; modernized and expanded its nuclear capabili- “Our goal over the next decade is to maintain a force strong ties; successfully tested a hypersonic glide vehicle; and enough to deter aggression and, should deterrence fail, to fielded short-, medium-, and long-range missiles in volume, prevail in any conflict,” Norquist said. “This requires us to Norquist said. continue adapting and changing.”

China has also exerted growing power in Asia, Africa, The United States is concentrating on leap-ahead technolo- Oceania, and in cyberattacks worldwide. In 2015, China’s gies like artificial intelligence and hypersonic weapons. But President Xi Jinping pledged not to militarize the artificial the nation is also investing in the people needed to use these islands China had built in the South China Sea. He broke new capabilities, he said. that pledge, Norquist said. The new technologies only go so far. They must be fielded China is also working to weaken America’s web of allies and in a way “to make the sum greater than the parts,” he said. partners in the Indo-Pacific region. In four years, we have become more lethal, a stronger partner, and a wiser spender. Norquist chaired a Future Naval Forces Study. “We exam- But despite our progress, we cannot stop here. ined ships and Marine units we have, and those we might Deputy Defense Secretary David L. Norquist build by 2045,” he said. “We looked at their costs, their Russia is playing the same game. In 2008, Russia invaded analytical capabilities, and we war-gamed different combi- Georgia and still occupies two provinces. In 2014, Russia nations of ships and Marine forces against different future annexed Crimea by force—something we had not seen in missions and challenges.” Europe since World War II—and entered combat against Ukrainian forces in Eastern Ukraine. Russia seeks every The results of this study will be used to build the fleet and opportunity to weaken NATO. forces needed over the next 25 years.

Defense Acquisition: November-December 2020 12 In the News

He noted that the Joint Staff is developing a draft Joint Warf- artificial intelligence, ever-present drones, gene editing, or ighting Concept to align personnel, equipment, organiza- human augmentation. tions, training, and doctrine as the military transitions to all-domain operations. “There’s no telling what the future can hold,” he said. “We have to do our part in acquisition and that means being “Over the next four years, we will fly over 40 flight tests able to develop war-winning systems at a pace that today’s in order to develop and transition a family of hypersonic technology, trends, and threats require.” weapons to our warfighters,” Norquist said. According to Roper, to do this, the Services must invest in “While we focus on accelerating the development of our a new way of designing and manufacturing. own capabilities, we remain aware of what our near-peer competitors are doing,” he said. “Just as China and Russia “The more amazing commercial technology becomes, the watched us closely, we are watching them.” more amazing our military technology is going to have to be to overcome the advantages that are available to all,” he All of this does require investment. He called on Congress said. “The last area that we have to have strategic agility is in to continue adequate, timely funding. being able to computerize or virtualize everything about our development and production, assembly, even sustainment of Budget cuts, as some propose, will endanger the United systems, so that we can finally get past the tyranny of the real States and cause a reversal of readiness, he said. world and take learning and feedback into the digital one.” “Warfighting is in a new era,” Norquist said. “In four years, With the use of digital engineering, Roper said the Air and we have become more lethal, a stronger partner, and a wiser Space Forces can build unique systems in an environment spender. But despite our progress, we cannot stop here. where unique technology is always being redesigned, opti- China’s plans are ambitious, and we need to keep making mized, and tested digitally, as opposed to using blueprints strides.” or computer models “that were good approximations for the physical system, but not the same as the real thing.” Acquisition Chief Calls for Disruptive Agility, New Digital Paradigm Roper likened the use of digital engineering to that of the SECRETARY OF THE AIR FORCE PUBLIC AFFAIRS (SEPT. 16, 2020) movie, “The Matrix.” He explained that with digital engi- Tech. Sgt. Areca T. Wilson neering, members can learn within an environment where Addressing the Air Force Association’s 2020 Virtual Air, the digital reality is so real, then “wake up” in the real world Space, and Cyber Conference, Sept. 15, Dr. Will Roper, with that acquired knowledge and less resources spent. assistant secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technol- ogy and Logistics, heralded the need for acquisition agility “If we can take things we once did in the physical world– through digital engineering to disrupt the nation’s adversar- having to design things, build things, integrate things–here ies. we spend lots of money with lots of people,” Roper ex- plained. “If they can go digital, then we can design and During his Matrix-inspired virtual keynote, Roper discussed build all the time.” the accomplishments and the future of acquisition for the Department of the Air Force while calling for disruptive The Air Force has already prescribed to Roper’s idea of the agility in order to remain competitive in an ever-innovating future of design and production. It recently announced its global security environment. new designator, the eSeries, which includes aircraft–such as the eT-7A Red Hawk satellites and more—that are digitally “If you look at the world in which we live today, we must be engineered. agile,” Roper said. “There are too many possible futures for us to pick one and build a force that’s geared to defeat it.” According to Roper, the ability to build an airplane the first time as if it were built 100 times, will open up a paradigm With Service branch leaders—Chief of Staff of the Air Force shift for the Air Force and the Space Force. He said that Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., and Chief of Space Operations with digital engineering, the learning curve, integration, Gen. John Raymond—making it clear that the Air and Space and flying before buying can be a thing of the past if the Forces must accelerate change to win, Roper explained that Services choose for it to be so. And it’s not just limited to acquisitions must also evolve, so the Services can be ready the computer screen or training aircraft, but it has already al- for whatever comes their way—whether it be something like lowed the Air Force to design, assemble, test, and fly its Next

13 Defense Acquisition: November-December 2020 In the News

During his Matrix-inspired virtual keynote at the Air Force Association 2020 Virtual Air, Space, and Cyber Conference, Sept. 16, 2020, Dr. Will Roper, assistant secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics discussed the ac- complishments and the future of acquisition for the Department of the Air Force while calling for disruptive agility in order to remain competitive in an ever-innovating global security environment. U.S. Air Force graphic

Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) aircraft, in record time. Space Force that regularly employs cutting-edge commer- cial solutions. Expanding these partnerships while sending a “NGAD has come so far, that the full-scale flight demonstra- clear, consistent signal to industry on the department’s new tor has already flown in the physical world and it’s broken approach is imperative. a lot of records in the doing, Roper said.” The Services have already jumped head-first into expanding In order to accelerate change today and ensure maximum commercially with programs such as AFVentures, which agility on future battlefields, the Air and Space Forces must awarded almost $800 million to companies this fiscal year wake up to a new reality where aircraft, weapons, and satel- on programs like Agility Prime flying car program. The lites already exist in an exact digital reality before metal is space launch program, which awarded contracts for the next ever cut. five years of launch, established an industrial base that’s capable of launching commercial or military satellites for “Digital engineering isn’t a fluke … It is our future,” Roper the nation. said. “This is how we provide our forces the capabilities they’ll need to win on the unpredictable, rapidly evolving in- Roper went on to explain that just as the cloud is impor- novation battlefield in this century by fundamentally chang- tant at home to ensure interconnectivity, it is essential for ing how we build and acquire systems and with whom we the continued development and interoperability of the joint build them, so that no matter what our adversaries do in the force. future, we will have the agility to overmatch and win. Then The Advanced Battle Management System, or ABMS, is an we will innovate faster, we will adapt quicker, and ultimately interconnected system that collects, processes, and shares stay ahead to disrupt and win.” data relevant to warfighters in order to make better deci- sions faster. Roper noted that to achieve the required agility and speed, the Air and Space Forces must embrace the full potential “The cloud connection is the most important because that’s of the U.S. tech ecosystem, and become a dual-use Air and where the world of data lives–that’s where AI and analytics

Defense Acquisition: November-December 2020 14 In the News

live,” Roper said. “It’s all about making the joint force act The statement from both of those defense leaders concludes as if it’s one system of systems, just like the internet.” that nearly all of the systems currently a part of the nuclear deterrent are beyond their original service lives and can no During the latest exercise or “on-ramp,” the ABMS achieved longer be cost-effectively maintained to meet future require- success countering a cruise missile with a hypervelocity gun, ments. Additionally, they said, the nuclear weapons produc- a task that is integral to base defense. “Mark September the tion infrastructure used to develop new weapons dates to third, 2020, on your calendar,” Roper said referring to the the 1950s or earlier. on-ramp’s success. “That might be the watershed moment we’d been waiting for, where you got to see the actual inter- “The majority of this infrastructure is rated as being in no net, the military’s internet of things come to bear on a prob- better than fair condition,” the statement reads. lem that could not be solved without machine-to-machine decision-making.” The department is now engaged in a recapitalization of the nuclear triad, which involves new submarines, such as the ‘Tipping Point’ Is Here for Nuclear Modernization, Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines; new intercon- Defense Official Says tinental ballistic missiles as part of the Ground Based Stra- DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE NEWS (SEPT. 17, 2020) tegic Deterrent program; and new bomber aircraft, such as C. Todd Lopez the B-21 Raider. The Defense Department has long talked about moderniza- tion of the nuclear deterrent capability it maintains and oper- That effort, Lord said, is something the department will ates and has issued warnings about the risks of allowing that need help with. deterrent, the nuclear triad, to become too old to effectively perform its mission. “DoD has embarked upon the first recapitalization of our triad since the end of the , and we cannot do it Now, Ellen M. Lord, undersecretary of defense for Acquisi- alone,” she said. tion and Sustainment, said the nuclear enterprise has reached a critical juncture beyond which failure to act will have Lord cited partnerships between DoD, the Department of devastating consequences going into the future. Energy, and the National Nuclear Security Administra- tion (NNSA) as critical to continued work to rebuild the “Today, we face a stark reality: the long-standing and re- U.S. nuclear deterrence capability. Also a critical part of peated warnings about the need to modernize and recapital- that partnership, she said, is the Nuclear Weapons Council ize the U.S. nuclear deterrent is no longer a warning about (NWC), an interagency group made up of both the DoD and the future,” Lord said during testimony today on Capitol Hill the NNSA that oversees sustainment and modernization of before the Senate Armed Services Committee. “The tipping nuclear weapons and supporting infrastructure. Lord serves point in recapitalization that we have long tried to avoid is as chairwoman of the NWC. here. And we believe the condition of the nuclear enterprise now poses possibly the greatest risk to deterrence.” “On behalf of the NWC, I strongly urge full support for the NNSA’s budget request, as well as successful resolution of In a prepared statement to the committee submitted by Lord the language in various FY21 congressional bills that would and Navy Adm. Charles A. Richard, commander of the U.S. prevent the NWC from carrying out its statutorily mandated Strategic Command, both of whom testified, more details responsibilities,” Lord said. “I want to thank this committee about the state of the U.S. nuclear deterrence were spelled for its longstanding bipartisan support to our nuclear deter- out. rent mission and the men and women in uniform who are its backbone.” “Previous and well-intentioned directive policy changes and de-emphasis of our nuclear deterrent resulted in decades Esper Describes Steps to Maintaining Future Maritime of deferred investments in nuclear warheads; delivery sys- Superiority tems; platforms; nuclear command, control, and communi- DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE NEWS (SEPT. 16, 2020) | cations; and supporting infrastructure,” the statement reads. David Vergun “Although sustainment efforts have allowed us to maintain a In this era of great power competition, the Defense Depart- viable nuclear triad and to defer modernization investments ment has prioritized China, then Russia as its top strategic for many years, continued delays are no longer an option.” competitors, the defense secretary said.

15 Defense Acquisition: November-December 2020 In the News

Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper (left) discusses National Defense Strategy implementation, particularly in regard to threats from China, at the RAND Corp. in Santa Monica, Calif., Sept. 16, 2020. Photo by Lisa Ferdinando

“These revisionist powers are using predatory economics, States when it comes to naval power. Even if we stopped political subversion, and military force in an attempt to shift building new ships, it would take the PRC [People’s Repub- the balance of power in their favor—and often at the expense lic of China] years to close the gap when it comes to our of others,” Dr. Mark T. Esper said today at the RAND Corp. capability on the high seas,” Esper said. in Santa Monica, California. “Nonetheless, we must stay ahead. We must retain our over- The secretary mentioned steps the department is taking to match. And, we will keep building modern ships to ensure counter these peer competitors, per the National Defense we remain the world’s greatest Navy,” he said. Strategy, which contains the three key pillars: readiness and modernization, strengthening relations with allies and part- To compete in a 21st century, high-end fight, America will ners, and reform. He touched on each of these pillars and need a future fleet that optimizes the following operational then focused on China and the maritime domain. attributes:

The Indo-Pacific region is the priority theater, Esper said. • Distributed lethality and awareness; In the face of destabilizing activities from China’s People’s Liberation Army, particularly in the maritime domain, the • Survivability in a high intensity conflict; United States must be ready to deter conflict and, if neces- sary, fight and win at sea. • Adaptability for a complex world;

The Chinese Communist Party intends to complete the • Ability to project power to control the seas and demon- modernization of its armed forces by 2035. Beijing is also strate presence; and investing in long-range, autonomous and unmanned sub- marines, which it believes can be a cost-effective counter • Capability to deliver precision effects at very long ranges. to American naval power. This future naval force will be more balanced in its abil- ity to deliver lethal effects from the air, from the sea, and “I want to make clear that China cannot match the United from under the sea. This fleet will be made up of more and Defense Acquisition: November-December 2020 16 In the News

smaller surface combatants; optionally manned, unmanned, face vessels and unmanned undersea vehicles, Esper men- and autonomous surface and subsurface vehicles; unmanned tioned. Earlier this month, for example, the autonomous, carrier-based aircraft of all types; a larger and more capable unmanned surface vessel Sea Hunter prototype completed submarine force; and a modern strategic deterrent, Esper operations with the destroyer USS Russell, demonstrating said. various aspects of manned and unmanned teaming. “These efforts are the next step in realizing our future fleet, one in This fleet must be affordable and must be manned by a which unmanned systems perform a variety of warfighting highly skilled and ready workforce and supported by a ro- functions — from delivering lethal fires and laying mines bust shipyard and industrial base, he added. to conducting resupply or surveilling the enemy. This will be a major shift in how we will conduct naval warfare in the Esper said that earlier this year, he asked the deputy secre- years and decades to come.” tary of defense to lead a Future Naval Force Study tasked with assessing a wider and more ambitious range of future Also, the Navy and Marine Corps will employ novel con- fleet options. cepts such as distributed maritime operations and littoral op- erations in a contested environment, which will modernize The Navy, Marine Corps, Joint Staff, Office of the Secretary the way we fight as they enable our future joint warfighting of Defense, and outside advisors conducted a comprehen- doctrine, Esper said. sive, cost and threat-informed review and analysis, he said. Driven by ‘a Tectonic Shift in Warfare’ Raymond First, they examined the current fleet. Second, they explored Describes Space Force’s Achievements and Future future force options needed to retain dominance in 2045 SECRETARY OF THE AIR FORCE PUBLIC AFFAIRS (SEPT. 15, 2020) given China’s likely modernization plans. And, third, they Charles Pope war-gamed these options, assessing the strengths and weak- ARLINGTON, Va.—Chief of Space Operations Gen. Jay nesses of each combination of ships against different future Raymond presented an ambitious blueprint Sept. 15 for ce- mission sets, Esper said. menting the nation’s superiority in space while also forcing This week, Esper said he met with those involved in this change closer to home by slashing bureaucracy, refocusing study to discuss their findings. training, and instilling a culture across the Space Force that “The results are a game-changer that reflect a good deal of puts a premium on speed, technology, and innovation for serious work and effort based on facts and data. This study “this digital service.” will serve as our guidepost as we decide on, program, and build our future fleet and conduct follow-on assessments in Noting “we are on the cusp of a tectonic shift in warfare,” select areas,” he said. Raymond said during his keynote address on the second day of the Air Force Association 2020 Virtual Air, Space and “In short, it will be a balanced force of over 355 ships— Cyber Conference that the law creating Space Force “gives both manned and unmanned—and will be built in a relevant us a huge opportunity to start with a clean sheet of paper to timeframe and budget-informed manner. And we will build build a Service from the ground up.” this fleet in such a way that balances tomorrow’s challenges with today’s readiness needs and does not create a hollow That opportunity along with fresh thinking, he said, allows Navy in the process,” he said. the Space Force to be “purpose built to compete, deter, win, and lead globally. And that is exactly what we are doing.” To achieve this outcome, the department will increase fund- ing for shipbuilding and the readiness that sustains this At the same time, Raymond was direct in explaining why force, he said. nine months ago the Space Force became the first new and independent branch of the military since 1947, and why the As an example, earlier this year, the Navy granted a $795 U.S. must maintain its advantage in space. million contract to purchase the first ship of a new class of guided missile frigates—with an option to purchase nine “Our adversaries are moving deliberately and quickly in more totaling nearly $5.6 billion. This is the first new, major order to reduce our advantage,” Raymond said. “… I’m not shipbuilding program the Navy has sought in more than a confident that we can achieve victory, or even compete, in a decade, Esper pointed out. modern conflict without space power,” he said. “And I am not willing to lose in order to learn.” Also, the Navy is making good progress on unmanned sur-

17 Defense Acquisition: November-December 2020 In the News

Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. Raymond delivers remarks during a ceremony at the Pentagon transferring airmen into the U.S. Space Force, Arlington, Va., Sept. 15, 2020. About 300 Airmen at bases worldwide, including 22 in the audience, trans- ferred during the ceremony. U.S. Space Force photo

Most important, he said, was publishing a space power doc- Those twin imperatives—the importance of space not just trine capturing the Space Force’s “why” and “how.” militarily but in everyday life and establishing a new model for creating and sustaining the Space Force—are central “We know this doctrine is not perfect, but it lays the foun- to his decisions and actions since Space Force was born, dation for an intellectual dialogue on space. I encourage all Raymond said. space and air professionals to read it and throw your voice into the conversation,” Raymond told the AFA’s virtual audi- “In order to be ready for this conflict, we must be bold,” ence numbering thousands of active duty air and space per- Raymond said. “We must innovate. We must move and think sonnel, industry officials, congressional staffers, and others. faster. And we must empower and leverage the outstanding talent we have in the Space Force. These imperatives are The doctrine is important, he said, because operating in in the Space Force’s DNA. ... I will accept moderate risk in space and fighting if necessary, is vastly different from any order to innovate and experiment.” other military activity. “If deterrence fails, a war that begins or extends into space will be fought over great distances at The “warfighting architecture,” he said, requires a “new tremendous speeds, both posing great challenges.” design.” The U.S. must “be able to meet the threat while reducing the first mover advantage.” The U.S. must also If that point was too vague, Raymond added detail. “have the ability to punch back. The unified command plan is clear; we must provide independent options in, through, “Direct ascent anti-satellite missiles can reach low earth and from space to ensure freedom of action in all domains.” orbit in minutes. Electronic attacks and directed energy weapons move at the speed of light, and on-orbit capabili- Raymond offered examples for how that mindset translates ties move at speeds greater than 17,500 mph,” Raymond in real terms. said. “To plan for warfare at these speeds and distances we must be lean, agile and fast.”

Defense Acquisition: November-December 2020 18 In the News

DoD Seeks Industry Input into Dynamic Spectrum The need to be nimble is why Raymond highlighted efforts Sharing to suppress any move toward a bloated bureaucracy. The DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE NEWS RELEASE (SEPT. 18, 2020) goal, he said, is “shortening the distance between decision The Department of Defense issued a request Sept. 18 for in- makers and you, the experts conducting our mission.” dustry to develop information papers on dynamic spectrum sharing. This request for information, or RFI, seeks insight Since the Space Force was created, “we have been in the into innovative solutions and technologies for dynamic shar- business of slashing bureaucracy, delegating authority, and ing of the department’s current spectrum allocation to ac- enhancing accountability,” he said of a force that, when fully celerate spectrum sharing and 5G deployment. The intent formed, is expected to number about 14,000, a total force is to ensure the greatest effective and efficient use of the that is far smaller than any other Service or the Coast Guard. Department of Defense’s spectrum for training, readiness, and lethality. “Big organizations are slow and we must move at speed to outpace the threats we face,” he said. “We hope our industry partners will come forward with in- novative ideas to address the questions in this RFI,” said Holding to that need, Raymond said a reorganization has DoD Chief Information Officer Dana Deasy. “DoD’s part- removed “two echelons of command” and that the original nership with industry is imperative in this extremely techni- estimate of 1,000 Space Force staff at the Pentagon has been cal and competitive field. What we learn in this effort has trimmed to 600. Raymond explained that the planning pro- potential to benefit the entire nation and keep the U.S. as the cess is guided by four overarching ideas – fostering unity of global leader of 5G technology for many years to come.” effort across the department; reducing duplication of effort; slashing costs; and “increasing our speed.” The scope of the effort, according to the RFI, is to have vendors look at the “broad range of spectrum DoD currently Training, education, and recruiting are the backbone of that uses in order to understand both the art of the possible, as effort, he said. Noting the high-tech nature of the work, well as current industry trends in spectrum utilization.” The Raymond said the Space Force will bring 50 software coders scope is intended to cover all approaches to spectrum man- to the force by the end of the year and “we expect to grow agement, including the best methods for sharing spectrum this organic expertise in the years to come.” with both military and civilian users.”

The larger goal, he said, is “to increase the digital fluency DoD Approaches Goal of Destroying All Stockpiled of the entire force.” Chemical Weapons DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE NEWS (SEPT. 21, 2020) Key to that effort is training. David Vergun This month, the Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot “We have completely transformed our education and train- Plant (PCAPP) team at the Army’s Pueblo Chemical Depot ing from undergraduate to advanced follow-on courses—all in Colorado completed the destruction of nearly 300,000 to ensure our operators have the knowledge and skills to 155mm projectiles, which each contained 12 pounds of mus- compete,” he said. “We’ve increased the rigor of courses tard agent, said Walton Levi, site project manager. and access to classified materials.” Chemical agent destruction operations in Colorado began “Our expectation is that all Space Force members will speak in March 2015 and are scheduled to be completed by 2023, a second language—digital,” he said. said Levi. More than 780,000 munitions were in the original chemical weapons stockpile in Pueblo. Taken together, Raymond suggested that the Space Force’s focus and the course it charted are correct and a proper blend Mustard agent is a blister-producing chemical weapon con- of old school approaches and novel thinking. tained within three types of munitions stored at the Pueblo Chemical Depot, each named after the diameter of its shell: “If we get this right, we will be the envy of the other Ser- 155mm projectile, 105mm projectile, and 4.2-inch mortar vices because we are not tied to the past,” Raymond said. round, he said.

This marks the end of the 155mm projectile campaign at PCAPP and the safe elimination of approximately two-thirds

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munitions destruction effort, as many have spent their en- tire careers ridding the world of these weapons,’’ said Kim Jackson, plant manager. “We reached this milestone because of the amazing workforce and their diligence, hard work, and support to the PCAPP mission.’’

“The United States is fully committed to destroying 100% of its remaining chemical weapons stockpile by Dec. 31, 2023,’’ said Mike Abaie, program executive officer of -As sembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives.

As of Aug. 14, the destruction of 1,673.5 tons of mustard A Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant ordnance agent in the U.S. has been reported to the Organization for technician at the Army Pueblo Chemical Depot in Colorado uses the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, an intergovernmental a lift assist to transfer a 155mm projectile onto a conveyor belt organization whose goal is to eradicate chemical weapons prior to destruction in 2019. Conveyors transport munitions into worldwide, said Abaie. explosive containment rooms where energetics are removed from projectiles before the chemical agent contained within is How the Process Works drained and neutralized. Under the close supervision of trained operators, the pilot U.S. Army photo plant uses dozens of automated systems to disassemble and drain the munitions and thermally heat the drained munition of the original chemical agent stored at the depot, said Levi. bodies, said Levi. “We proudly completed this campaign ahead of schedule— and while implementing strict, new protocols to keep our The liquid agent is neutralized, and the product, hydrolysate, workforce safe amid the coronavirus pandemic,’’ he said. is then fed to living microorganisms in a process known as biotreatment, Levi explained. Water is recycled at the pilot Since the late 1960s, the U.S. government has been taking plant and the remaining salt is shipped off-site to a permit- steps to reduce and eliminate the U.S stockpile of chemical ted treatment, storage, and disposal facility. The plant is weapons. This was reinforced by a presidential directive equipped with a robust pollution abatement system made up and the U.S. ratification in 1997 of the Chemical Weapons of 12 carbon filter banks that filter out particles before air Convention, an international treaty that calls on all member from inside the plant is released back into the atmosphere. nations to destroy their chemical weapons and production facilities. During the next several months at PCAPP, technicians will retrofit the plant’s robots and systems to begin processing To comply with the treaty, the U.S. is destroying its last the next munitions campaign, which are the 105mm pro- remaining chemical weapons stockpile, said Levi. jectiles, said Levi.

‘’Our ultimate goal is keeping the workforce and community In July, workers finished assembling three static detonation safe from these World War II-era weapons,’’ said Army Col. chambers (SDC) to augment PCAPP by destroying problem- Michael Cobb, commander of the depot. ‘’We use the utmost atic munitions, which are unsuitable for processing using care and follow strict safety procedures when delivering the the main plant’s automated equipment, said Levi. The SDC munitions from their storage igloos to PCAPP.’’ units will destroy the 4.2-inch mortar rounds, which is the third and final destruction campaign. ‘’Destruction of 155mm projectiles is a great accomplish- ment for the PCAPP team,’’ said Ken Harrawood, project Other Chemical Weapons Site manager of the Bechtel Pueblo Team. ‘’Innovative solu- The other remaining chemical weapons facility in the U.S. tions are key to solving issues that arise with a complex and is PCAPP’s sister site, the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-De- one-of-a-kind operating facility like PCAPP. This would not struction Pilot Plant (BGCAPP) near Richmond, Kentucky. have been possible without the dedication and professional- BGCAPP is safely destroying 523 U.S. tons of the nerve ism of our amazing workforce.’’ agents VX and GB (sarin) and mustard agent stored in rock- ets and projectiles at the site, Levi said. “I give credit to our team of employees dedicated to the

Defense Acquisition: November-December 2020 20 In the News

An Encapsulated X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle sits ready for United States Space Force-7 mission in Washington, D.C., May 6, 2020. Photo courtesy Boeing

BGCAPP is using neutralization or an explosive destruction tion under the Artemis program, NASA also is building on technology to safely destroy the munitions, he continued. a longstanding partnership with the Defense Department BGCAPP began agent destruction operations with explosive according to a memorandum of understanding announced destruction technology on June 7, 2019, and its main plant today by Space Force Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond and began operations on Jan. 17, 2020. Operations will be com- NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. The agreement com- pleted by Dec. 31, 2023. mits DoD and NASA to broad collaboration in areas that in- clude human spaceflight, space policy, space transportation, An important element in the process of safely destroying standards and best practices for safe operations in space, chemical weapons is the coordination and collaboration with scientific research, and planetary defense. the local communities. The Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program works closely and supports state and The agreement was discussed today at the Air Force As- local governments and the Federal Emergency Management sociation Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies’ Space Agency to educate, prepare, and protect communities sur- Power Forum. rounding the stockpile sites, Levi said. NASA, DoD Agree to Collaborate More Closely in The MOU replaces an agreement signed 14 years ago be- Space tween NASA and the U.S. Air Force Space Command, under DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE NEWS (SEPT. 22, 2020) which the two organizations exchanged research and devel- David Vergun opment information, sought to reduce duplication of system While advancing plans for unprecedented lunar explora-

21 Defense Acquisition: November-December 2020 In the News

development, and collaborated in the long-term planning of exploration missions, which are distinct from what the Space each organization’s space roadmaps. Force does, Raymond said.

The security of the space domain has become more challeng- But besides operating together in the space domain, the two ing with competitor nations able to jam, spoof, hack, and organizations share the space industrial base, research and use lasers to attack satellites and communications systems, development, and science and technology that benefit both, Bridenstine said. he said.

“We want to see behaviors improved in space,” he said, “and This MOU reiterates the close collaboration that DoD has the Space Force will be an important partner in ensuring had with NASA since its founding in 1958, Raymond said, space is secure and is used peacefully for the benefit of all mentioning that most of the astronauts leading up to the of humanity.” moon landings were military personnel.

Raymond said the Space Force will defend assets in space Bridenstine mentioned that as part of its Artemis program, including GPS satellites, weather satellites, communications NASA plans to send the first astronauts to the lunar surface satellites, missile warning satellites, space domain aware- in 2024 and establish a sustainable presence there by the ness satellites, rockets, and the International Space Station. end of the decade. The agency will then use the moon to prepare for its next giant leap—human exploration of Mars. Those assets are vital to the joint force and those capabilities are shared with allies and partners, he added. Raymond said the Space Force will support those missions NASA, on the other hand, is in science, technology, and as well.

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