Defense, military, intelligence agencies, all have a hand in U.S. space acquisitions

Space Systems Command’s headquarters at Los Angeles Air Force Base, California. Credit: U.S. Space Force photo by Van Ha

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Space Force was formed in 2019 to oversee military space activities, but acquisitions of space technologies remain scattered across a web of agencies. 

This creates a bureaucratic labyrinth for companies and lawmakers alike, said Steve Jordan Tomaszewski, senior director of national security space at the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA).

“We constantly field inquiries about who buys what in the national security space arena,” he said. 

In response, AIA published an infographic highlighting 15 organizations that are major players in national security space acquisition across the Defense Department and the intelligence community.

“We recognize that this is not an all encompassing list, but we thought this would be helpful to show the state of play, a current snapshot in time,” said Tomaszewski.

From rockets and satellites to sensors, orbital vehicles, ground systems, software, and other cutting-edge technologies, the purchasing pipeline is a maze that even seasoned professionals struggle to navigate, he said. 

Although there is a Space Force in charge of space, “they’re not the only space player in town,” Tomaszewski said. 

“There’s a lot of senior leaders across industry, Capitol Hill, the Department of Defense and intelligence community that would benefit from having an updated snapshot of who the major stakeholders are,” he added. 

Sandra Erwin writes about military space programs, policy, technology and the industry that supports this sector. She has covered the military, the Pentagon, Congress and the defense industry for nearly two decades as editor of NDIA’s National Defense…
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