Report from Headquarters


Industry Panel Outlines Advice

Written by: developer

Industry Panel Outlines Advice Moderated by The Aerospace Corporation President and CEO Wanda Austin, Ph.D., the Strategic Space Symposium's industry panel suggested ideas that they felt could improve their responsiveness to military operations needs.

Lt. Gen. Brian Arnold, USAF (Retired), vice president, Space Strategy Space and Airborne Systems, Raytheon Company, cited speed as the most critical factor.

David DiCarlo, Ph.D., sector vice president and general manager, Space Systems Division, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems, added that innovation, leveraging existing platforms, and maximizing already-available or soon-to-be-available technologies can speed development and deployment.

Rick Ambrose, vice president and general manager, Surveillance & Navigation Systems, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, called for stability - in funding, requirements, and leadership.

And, inserting another critical concept to the discussion, Brig. Gen. Tip Osterthaler, USAF (Retired), president & CEO, AMERICOM Government Services, said that industry needs to walk away from work that doesn't make sense because of flaws in costing, requirements, or technology requirements that would make it impossible to deliver the desired project on time or in budget.

Each also gave advice to the government:

  • Ambrose: Encourage innovation without endangering programs, including ensuring that technology is sufficiently developed before it is deployed and focusing on multi-year projects
  • Osterthaler: Have courage to take risks and keep leadership engaged and committed
  • Arnold: Take appropriate, balanced risks and maintain requirements stability
  • DiCarlo: Focus on both short- and long-term objectives; take balanced risks; take a multi-year approach to better manage funding

To see more on this panel, click here.

To read more about the Strategic Space Symposium, read the articles in this issue of Space Watch.

Pictured: Rick Ambrose, vice president and general manager, Surveillance & Navigation Systems, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company.

This article is part of Space Watch: December 2009 (Volume: 8, Issue: 12).


Posted in Report from Headquarters