Report from Washington, D.C.
Space Acquisition Session Draws a Capacity Crowd
Last month, the Space Foundation and the Washington, D.C., consulting group GS3 hosted a lunch and discussion session on space acquisition. The keynote speaker was Under Secretary of the Air Force Erin Conaton, who spoke about administration efforts to address acquisition and industrial base efforts and conducted a lively Q&A session. Conaton was followed by two in-depth panels…
DoD Announces Cyberspace Strategy
The growing importance of cyberspace in our everyday lives was highlighted when the Department of Defense (DoD) unveiled its first strategy for operating in cyberspace. The opening phrase, “Cyberspace is a defining feature of modern life,” ties together the military, economic and social aspects of cyberspace in this new roadmap. During his announcement of this new…
Update from the White House
In July, the White House proposed comprehensive revisions to the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (EAR). The Department of Commerce (DOC) published in the Federal Register a new regulatory construct to deal with the transfer of items from the United States Munitions List (USML) that the President determines no longer warrant control under the Arms Export…
DoD Space Programs Budget Comparison Available
The House of Representatives has passed its FY 2012 defense appropriations bill, H.R. 2219, which includes $530 billion in spending – $9 billion less than the President requested for fiscal year 2012. Despite the decrease, the legislation increases funding for the Department of Defense (DoD) by $17 billion over the FY 2011 budget. The Senate Appropriations Committee…
Senate Armed Services Committee Passes S. 1254
On June 22, the Senate confirmed former CIA director Leon Panetta to replace Robert Gates as Secretary of Defense. Also in June, the Senate Armed Services Committee passed S. 1254, the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2012. In total, the bill authorizes $547 billion in base funding for the Department of Defense, $5.9 billion…
House Appropriations Committee Passes Defense Bill
On June 14, the House Committee on Appropriations passed its FY 2012 Defense Appropriations bill, which includes $530 billion in basic spending – $9 billion less than the President requested for FY 2012. Despite the decrease, the legislation increases base funding for the Department of Defense by $17 billion over the FY 2011 budget. In…
Space Foundation CEO Testifies in Washington
Space Foundation Chief Executive Officer Elliot Pulham testified May 18 before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on the importance of a robust space program (the official topic of the hearing was The Contributions of Space to National Imperatives). The other participants were Frank Slazer, vice president of space systems, Aerospace Industries Association; Dr. Christopher…
NASA Budget Analysis Update Available
The Space Foundation has updated its report providing an overview and comparison of the NASA budget. The report provides an overview of FY 2011 NASA budget request and legislation, breaking it down into the President’s FY 2011 Budget Request, FY 2011 funds authorized by the NASA Authorization Act of 2010 and the FY 2011 Enacted…
House Space & Aeronautics Subcommittee Update
In May, the House Space & Aeronautics Subcommittee held two hearings: Office of Commercial Space Transportation’s Fiscal Year 2012 Budget Request NASA’s Commercial Cargo Providers: Are They Ready to Supply the Space Station in the Post-Shuttle Era?” In the first hearing on May 5, members of the Subcommittee voiced their concern that the request sought…
Space News from Washington
During May, space-related subcommittees met, authorization acts were passed and strageic decisions were announced: Hearings The Senate Strategic Forces Subcommittee held a hearing on May 11 entitled, Military Space Programs in Review of the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2012 and the Future Years Defense Program. Senators on the Subcommittee recognized several recently successful…