Report shows space programs improving

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. David A. Jablonski
  • Air Force Print News
WASHINGTON --  Space programs are improving and cultural change is under way, according to a recent review of the May 2003 Task Force on Acquisition of National Security Space Programs report.

In the 2003 findings, the task force had called for a one-year progress report. The results of that progress report were briefed Aug. 24.

Undersecretary of the Air Force Peter B. Teets released a summary of the task force findings to the media and highlighted efforts to facilitate change in space programs. The Air Force serves as Department of Defense Executive Agent for Space and Mr. Teets also is director of the National Reconnaissance Office.

A. Thomas Young chaired the Defense Science Board and Air Force Scientific Board joint Task Force on Acquisition of National Security Space Programs, and he shared highlights of his findings in the “one-year review.”

Mr. Young praised what he called an extraordinary cultural change that took place in only one year.

“Overall, our reaction was quite positive,” he said. “We found some areas where corrective actions were effectively complete and we found some areas that require significant attention. We recognized that there is a lot going in the world of National Security Space. There are operational systems that we have to worry about every day. We did not expect to find all the areas completed, but we did expect to find all of them being treated seriously. So we were quite pleased with the progress we observed.”

In the 2003 report, the task force recommended both near-term solutions to serious problems on critical space programs as well as long-term recovery from systemic problems.

The report was highly critical of space acquisition, stating the erosion of the government’s acquisition management capabilities occurred over a period of years. The task force concluded that, without significant improvements, the government acquisition workforce is unable to manage the current portfolio of National Security Space programs or new programs currently under consideration.

The report also stated that the team found systemic problems in space acquisition. Their findings and conclusions identified requirements definition and control issues, unhealthy cost bias in proposal evaluation, a lack of budget reserves needed to implement high-risk programs on schedule and an overall under-appreciation of the importance of appropriately staffed and trained system engineering staffs to manage space programs and technologies.

“They found some serious weaknesses in the acquisition activities and made some very insightful observations and, frankly, helped me to update the (acquisition) policy for National Security Space and implement some reforms,” Mr. Teets said. “While they may take a while to take hold, (the reforms) will really benefit the community in the long term.”

The root cause of the problems were the large collection of policies and procedures that were put in place in the 1990s that had unintended consequences and a negative impact on NSS, Mr. Young said. He also said the biggest problem NSS faced until last year was that cost had replaced mission as the main focus.

“Mission success is back as the primary focus for NSS programs,” Mr. Young said. “It’s reflected in policy direction and leadership actions. Reversal of this process is quite striking. There’s no question in our mind that mission success is back in the proper place as the driver for the program. This is a cultural change. It is quite extraordinary.

“There are thousands of engineers working on space programs,” Mr. Young explained. “And they’re all making some little decision that’s below the radar of this (report). And if they think we want them to make that decision based on cost and not on mission success, they’re probably building more risk into the program than we wanted. The fact that this has turned around in a year is extraordinary.”

The continuing improvements demonstrated by the report reinforce the Air Force’s basic tenet that assured access to space is key to national security.

“We’ll never get each and every program just right,” Mr. Young said. “But we can do pretty well at the portfolio. In other words, I think that the probability of being able to get it right for the entire portfolio of national space programs is very high.”