The Department of Defense (DOD) is a U.S. government agency responsible for military and national security space activities. It acts as a major procurer and operator of space systems, including launch vehicles and satellite systems for reconnaissance, missile launch detection, navigation, and communication. The DOD aims to maintain space superiority, integrate military space power, and ensure space stability, working with commercial firms to integrate space solutions into national security architectures.
All verified mentions of this organization in source documents.
The Department of Defense budget request for the Space Development Agency included $30,000,000 for LEO missile warning ground integration.
Mike Griffin advocated tapping the commercial space sector’s investment in satellite manufacturing, ground systems, and launch vehicles to develop proliferated constellations for Department of Defense use.
Patrick Shanahan included the Space Development Agency in an August 2018 proposal that laid out three pillars for managing the Pentagon’s space enterprise: U.S. Space Command, U.S. Space Force, and the Space Development Agency.
The Department of Defense requested $44,800,000 to staff the Space Development Agency with an estimated 225 people split 50/50 between government and military personnel and support contractors.
The Space Development Agency’s proposed transport layer would be used to develop Department of Defense capabilities including positioning, navigation and timing; low-latency targeting; and detection and tracking of ballistic and advanced missile threats.
The Department of Defense budget request for the Space Development Agency included $85,000,000 for space technology development and prototyping.
The Department of Defense budget request for the Space Development Agency included $15,000,000 for a space-based interceptors study.
The Department of Defense budget request for the Space Development Agency included $15,000,000 to develop transport layer architecture and standards.
The Department of Defense budget request for the Space Development Agency included $10,000,000 for commercial procurement of space situational awareness capabilities and launching LEO smallsats.
The Department of Defense budget request for the Space Development Agency included $15,000,000 for a space-based discrimination assessment.
Boeing has delivered on-orbit satellites as part of commercial customer agreements but has not performed on-orbit delivery for the Department of Defense.
Patrick Shanahan has been a staunch proponent of the Space Development Agency and has promoted it since he took charge of the Defense Department’s space reorganization in late 2017 when he was deputy secretary of defense.
Space Policy Directive 4 directed a study, due in mid-August, on how the Department of Defense and the National Reconnaissance Office can better align their activities.
The Department of Defense established the Space Development Agency one month before the 2019-04-11 hearing to leverage commercial innovation without requiring congressional authorization.
The Department of Defense requested $72,000,000 in fiscal year 2020 to establish a Space Force headquarters of about 200 people.
An Air Force 90-day Space Strategy Study completed by the Air Force and the intelligence community concluded that LEO-based systems would be vulnerable during military conflicts and that the Department of Defense should not be taking that risk.
The Department of Defense projected the cost to build the Space Force over the next five years would be $2,000,000,000.
The Department of Defense rolled out its Space Force proposal on 2019-03-01.
The U.S. Air Force will award up to $40,000,000 this fall at a live Space Pitch Day event in Los Angeles for winners of Defense Department SBIR contracts to compete for additional funding.
The Pentagon requested $150,000,000 for the Space Development Agency for fiscal year 2020.