The IAP was chaired by A. Thomas Young and included some of the nation's leading experts on defense and intelligence uses of space. The supporting study team included senior staff members at the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA). The final report draft, dated July 2008, was released in late September 2008. The panel made four major recommendations:

First, the U.S. must establish and execute a national space strategy, and this strategy must be led by the President. Furthermore, the National Space Council (NSC) must be reestablished and chaired by the National Security Advisor.

The NSC must implement the strategy and coordinate activities for NSS across the defense and intelligence communities, NOAA, NASA, and other responsible agencies. This Council would provide a forum for assigning responsibilities, setting priorities and breaking roadblocks to cooperation that have stymied progress on key space programs.

Second, the U.S. must create a senior National Security Space Authority (NSSA) in support of the Secretary of Defense (SECDEF) and Director of National Intelligence (DNI). This is necessary because no one person is currently in charge of NSS, i. e., authority and responsibility for military and intelligence space programs are scattered across the staffs of defense and intelligence communities.

This new authority was proposed in order to rectify crippling shortfalls in the current system; such as the inability to reconcile budget priorities and to ensure that new acquisition program requirements are integrated and affordable across military and intelligence space.

Third, the U.S. must establish a National Security Space Organization (NSSO) that could consolidate the functions of the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC), other parts of Air Force Space Command (AFSPC), and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO).

Such a consolidation should result in the best use of the very limited available talent and proven, successful engineering and acquisition practices. This move is necessary because of the persistent pattern of program delays, cost overruns and cancellations.

Fourth, the defense and intelligence communities must implement new strategies for identifying, selecting, educating, training and managing a sufficient number of government professionals to support the nation's space acquisition responsibilities.

To do this, policies that influence careers of space acquisition professionals must be changed to provide both management continuity and career advancement opportunities. These and many other national security space issues are addressed in our Launchspace courses. We can even create a customer presentation for you.

For more information visit Launchspace and We can even create a custom presentation for You.

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