When has anything to do with space ever stayed the same? Satellites are smaller, launches are more frequent, capabilities are more advanced, threats are more real.
At Space Systems Command, we recognize change can be hard, particularly as we deal with changes in civilian workforce numbers, return to office mandates and other internal pivots. But we also understand that change is the inevitable result of progress. Change is central to the important work we do at SSC to empower our nation’s warfighters. They demand — and deserve — speed, adaptability and decisive action.
Under our first Commander’s tenure, we transitioned from a center to a command, we intensified our focus on the threat, integrated intelligence professionals and analysts into our program executive offices, and we shifted from a bespoke acquisition focus to an exploit, buy, build strategy.
But this was just the beginning.
What COMSO’s accomplished
At Space Symposium 2023, SSC leadership announced sweeping changes to our Commercial Services Office, rebranding it to the Commercial Space Office (COMSO). This office modernized our Front Door industry portal, effectively streamlining and speeding the process of connecting commercial companies with potential government partners. At latest count, more than 900 commercial enterprises have come through our Front Door.
COMSO also masterminded the $900 million indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity Proliferated Low Earth Orbit Satellite-Based Services contract for commercial satcom procurement. This multiple partner/multiple award contract model was the first of its kind for government satcom procurement and it has empowered capability delivery to the warfighter at faster speeds and lower costs compared to traditional one contract per mission partner or task order. It’s been a resounding success for both the warfighter and the commercial satcom industry as evidenced by the recent ceiling increase from $900 million to $13 billion in response to the overwhelming demand signal.
In just two years, COMSO has also delivered a draft Commercial Augmented Space Reserve (CASR) Framework, awarded four pilot contracts under this initial framework and held its first CASR wargaming exercise. That’s in addition to COMSO’s key role in the development of the Space Force’s Commercial Space Strategy and its designation as the executing agency for the Space Force.
Through the Space Enterprise Consortium (SpEC), we are facilitating our military’s access to innovative commercial solutions and connecting those commercial solutions with sources of funding. This modern acquisition approach removes barriers to entry for small businesses and non-traditional vendors while helping to eliminate risk, decrease time to award and rapidly deliver next-gen space prototypes. SpEC is the Space Force’s only consortium supported OTA, purposed to rapidly solve DoD space prototyping needs.
We’re also accelerating prototyping through our Tools, Applications and Processing (TAP) Labs. TAP Labs bring cohorts from government, academia and commerce together in secure spaces to focus on specific challenges, explore unexplored solutions and generate answers to problem sets in real time.
Building on the successful model of our OPIR TAP Lab in Boulder, we facilitated the opening of a second TAP Lab in 2023 to focus on Space Domain Awareness, and just recently, a third TAP Lab focused on Tactical Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Tracking (TacSRT). In addition to driving technology innovation, the TacSRT TAP Lab will support the mission by connecting with potential industry vendors, screening their capabilities and onboarding them into the Global Data Marketplace (GDM).
These are a few examples that demonstrate how SSC continues to pivot, change, adapt and transform to more quickly and efficiently close kill chains with next-generation space capabilities that are effective today and able to withstand current and emerging threats.
As we race to outpace our adversaries and near-peer challengers, we will continue leveraging our partnerships across each space segment. From manufacturers, we seek partnerships on resilient, modular and rapidly deployable satellite architectures. From launch providers, we seek ways to increase the speed and flexibility of access to space to meet operational needs. From our operators and data providers, we seek to develop adaptive and secure systems that can scale and respond to dynamic operational requirements. From our supply chain managers, we seek to improve our resiliency by strengthening supply chains and ensuring redundancy is a shared responsibility across industry and government.
What comes next
Given a near future in which large numbers of government employees will potentially transition to industry, we are pivoting to innovate, adapt and pursue the smartest ways to strengthen our command from the inside out. My Command Plan, issued in September, formalizes the steps we have been taking to build on the excellence of our organization and people by improving foundational competencies like warfighting culture, talent development, resource allocation, quality of life and connection. This focus is reflected in our mission statement: Developing and fielding dominant space-based capabilities by advancing an expert workforce.
My plan commits to three lines of effort (LOEs). Each is designed to improve the effectiveness of the SSC workforce and, ultimately, the effectiveness of the space capabilities they develop and field.
The first calls for aligning existing resources and modernizing the command structure to maximize effectiveness to integrate, deliver and field high priority capabilities today. As Space Force priorities evolve or new force designs are developed, the actions associated with this LOE will adapt to ensure the command’s resources are consistently being used in the most effective way possible.
Specific action items under this LOE include resourcing immediate mission priorities; building a right command structure; establishing clear roles, responsibilities and authorities between SSC headquarters and our host installations; and creating and executing a methodology for future resourcing decisions.
The second addresses workforce training and command culture. It calls for improving and modernizing our workforce’s technical, operational, acquisition and leadership experiences through data-driven, research-backed and well-scoped actions. Opportunities for improvement are being identified and filled across the human resources lifecycle; deficiencies will be identified and corrective actions will be taken, all while ensuring the experiences our people have while working at SSC, allow them to thrive.
Specific action items under this line include reimagining career development planning; improving command operations across a geographically dispersed stakeholder base; developing and implementing innovative workforce training plans; and building a guardian culture focused on warfighting and speed.
The third stresses the importance of relationships between SSC and its stakeholders including the command’s military, civilian and contractor workforce; national-level government; combatant commands and service components; DoD and allied nation development partners; host facilities; and industry development partners and service providers.
Specific action items under this LOE include maturing command engagement plans; developing engagement products; and measuring our command performance for our stakeholders.
It is extremely important that we maintain, connect with and nurture the vast space acquisition talent that has been cultivated within our command, our sister services and our government, academic, NGO and industry partners. What we are doing is incredibly important to the warfighter, to the United States, to the homeland and to citizens. In a sea of change, a constant truth is that we will win by working together to ensure that the United States remains at the forefront of space superiority.
Lt. Gen. Phil Garrant is the commander of Space Systems Command where he manages a $15.6 billion annual space acquisition budget and works with the joint forces, industry, government agencies, academia, and allied organizations to accelerate innovation and outpace emerging threats to U.S. and allied interests in space.
SpaceNews is committed to publishing our community’s diverse perspectives. Whether you’re an academic, executive, engineer or even just a concerned citizen of the cosmos, send your arguments and viewpoints to opinion@spacenews.com to be considered for publication online or in our next magazine. The perspectives shared in these op-eds are solely those of the authors.