Donley: Space not Immune to Industrial Base Concerns

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org

The Air Force’s space enterprise is busy designing, building, and delivering a healthy number of new satellite systems, but the military space enterprise is not immune to the same sorts of industrial base concerns that haunt other USAF mission areas. That was the warning from Air Force Secretary Michael Donley in his Nov. 20 speech at AFA’s Global Warfare Symposium in Beverly Hills, Calif. Donley noted that when you total up procurement, research, and development, and construction funding, space systems account for 21 percent of USAF’s total investment account. Yet the mission area is still experiencing a dwindling workforce, intense competition for talent from the private sector, and a shrinking number of viable contractors. He cautioned that money alone will not cure acquisition problems—good management is essential.

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org