Defense Space Activities: Organizational Changes Initiated, but Further Management Actions Needed
Results in Brief
In response to the Space Commission’s recommendations, DOD has taken
further steps to implement some organizational changes that have the
potential to improve its ability to manage space activities, but it is too
early to assess the effects of these and earlier changes DOD announced
because new institutional roles, processes, and procedures are still
evolving. Since June 2002, when we reported that DOD intended to
implement 10 of the commission’s 13 recommendations and had
completed implementation of 6, DOD has completed action on 3 more
recommendations. The only action intended but not completed at the
conclusion of our work is designation of the Air Force as executive agent3
for DOD space programs. Organizational changes completed include creating a focal point for space by naming the Under Secretary of the Air
Force as Director, National Reconnaissance Office,4 and charging this
individual with responsibility for integrating space activities across DOD
as well as milestone decision authority5 for major space acquisitions;
creating a separate position of Commander, Air Force Space Command, to
provide increased attention to the organization, training, and equipping for
space operations; and creating a mechanism to identify space spending
across the department.
DOD has taken some actions to address long-term management
challenges, but the extent of progress in identifying and implementing
needed actions has varied. For example, DOD plans to increase its budget
for space science and technology by 25 percent between fiscal years 2003
and 2007 and almost double it by 2009. However, the availability of such
funding in view of other departmental priorities is uncertain. Further, the
Air Force has a draft acquisition approach intended to streamline the
acquisition process and reduce the cost of building and launching space
systems, but the process has not been fully validated and finalized. In
addition, DOD and the services have not developed and implemented
human capital plans needed to build a cadre of space professionals to lead
space activities in the future. Specifically, DOD lacks an overall human
capital strategic approach for space that could give guidance and facilitate
development of individual service plans to better manage space forces.
Further, it has not established time frames for completing such plans.
DOD has not yet developed a comprehensive results-oriented management
framework for space activities that includes critical elements to foster
future program success. As the executive agent for DOD space, the Under
Secretary of the Air Force has begun developing, in collaboration with the
other services and defense agencies involved in space activities, a national
security space strategy and a national security space plan. According to
officials in the office of the executive agent for DOD space who are
developing the strategy and plan, the documents will set the goals of
national security space activities, identify approaches to achieve those goals, and provide input to the Defense Planning Guidance 6 which serves
as a basis for assessing whether the services’ planned budgets fulfill
national security space priorities. The officials hope to finalize these
documents in early 2003. However, because these documents have not
been finalized and we were not provided access to draft plans, it is not
clear whether they address all the critical elements of a results-oriented
management framework—such as performance goals and measures.
Without a results-oriented management framework, DOD will not be able
to fully gauge its progress toward more effective national security space
activities. In conjunction with its fiscal year 2000 budget, DOD developed a
department-level performance report that specifies measures for some
performance goals, but the report did not include goals and measures for
space activities. In addition, no single entity in the Office of the Secretary
of Defense has oversight responsibility to assess the Air Force’s progress
in effectively managing departmentwide space activities and achieving
associated performance goals and measures. Until such plans and
oversight are in place, DOD cannot be assured that its investments will
optimally support its current and future requirements for space
operations.
Accordingly, we are making recommendations to improve the
management oversight and accountability for space operations. DOD
agreed or partially agreed with our recommendations.
