Air Force Secretary Michael Donley is establishing an Air Force Space Board to coordinate the service’s space activities. “This board will serve as the overarching forum to integrate acquisition, international affairs, plans, requirements, operations, and training efforts related to space,” he wrote in a memo issued Thursday. The Air Force undersecretary will be co-chair of the board, along with the USAF vice chief of staff. The head of Air Force Space Command and other senior Air Staff and Air Force Secretariat officials will sit on the board. The Donley memo outlines USAF’s headquarters-level realignment to streamline space oversight functions following a comprehensive review that Donley directed last December. This review found space functions to be fragmented, leading to confusion over roles, responsibilities, and relationships. Another change is making the Air Force undersecretary the lead for space matters at the headquarters level, except for acquisition. (Space management review)
Earlier this week, the People’s Republic of China confirmed it is halting its nuclear arms control talks with the U.S., in retaliation for the U.S. continuing to sell arms to Taiwan. The move reinforces a “pattern of behavior” from Beijing, experts say.