Talking about the Air Force’s new “block” strategy for space acquisition, Ronald Sega, Undersecretary of the Air Force and DOD Space Executive Agent, told lawmakers Friday that development of the next generation Global Positioning System satellites—GPS III—already has been through a “comprehensive review process” and received Joint Requirements Oversight Council validation. It’s being developed in three basic blocks—Block A will include the latest GPS IIF capabilities plus 10 times the current military signal power and a civilian signal compatible with the European Union’s Gallileo; Block B incorporates an enhanced crosslinks capability; and Block C introduces a spot beam capability. Sega explained that only when Block A “is mature, we’ll insert and develop the IIIB satellite constellation” and the same for IIIC. He also noted that USAF plans to maintain two contractors—primes Lockheed Martin and Boeing—through key decision point B to “leverage ongoing risk-reduction activities.”
“Military history shows that the best defense is almost always a maneuvering offense supported by solid logistics. This was true for mechanized land warfare, air combat, and naval operations since World War II. It will also be true as the world veers closer to military conflict in space,” writes Aidan…