to take advantage of for future tranches of the PWSA. So, that has attracted a lot of interest to SDA. I think originally we got 43 proposals for that. It just shows that we’re sending that demand signal and that nontraditional folks are interested in playing with us. HALO is another effort to diversify our performer base. And it seems like it’s gotten off to a good start. Q Is it tough to find adequately prepared nontraditional suppliers in your market? A. It is in a sense. We try to leverage commercial technol- ogy as much as we can. Probably the easiest place to do that is with the space vehicle bus, the stuff that we bolt our payloads to. That’s where we’re really looking to ex- pand our nontraditional base to the extent we can. The Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture is a little bit different than what people think of with a typical LEO [low Earth orbit] constellation, like Starlink. Our constellation has to be backward-compatible with legacy weapon sys- tems. By definition, that’s going to limit some of the folks that can do business with you. When you’re talking about missile warning/missile tracking missions, those are ex- quisite payloads that only certain companies know how to produce. We’re trying to expand the base there, but it’s harder to do. I think the biggest chance we have to expand the performer base is with the space vehicle bus, and that’s sort of what HALO is trying to get after, right now. We’re ultimately trying to move toward what we call commoditized buses where these nontraditional companies build a bunch of space vehicles that come off the assembly line and then we can bolt our payloads onto there. We’re just not there yet, and a lot of that has to do with the industrial base that hasn’t ramped up fast enough. And our payloads are
kind of exquisite, so you’re not going to just be able to bolt things onto any random space vehicle. SDA is kind of in a unique spot between being a truly commercial capability and something that has to be backward-compatible with existing DoD systems. I think that’s where SDA actually provides value. If you could just buy everything purely commercially, you wouldn’t need a separate acquisition activity. So, we’re trying to leverage commercial to the maximum extent possible, recognizing that that’s probably never going to happen as long as we need to play with other DoD systems. Q As an award-winning contracting professional, how do you think the acquisition workforce could be better equipped to meet the unique needs of space acquisition? A. I think in general we have the tools we need. We have electronic contract writing systems. We have good filing systems. We have DAU to get people up to a certain level of proficiency. So, I think we’re in a good place. I would say for the Space Force specifically, there are increasing opportunities to bring people together from the three acquisition activities, to talk about specific programs to the extent that’s possible, the challenges that folks have faced, getting them all in the same room sharing real-world experience, sharing battle stories—I think that will really help things out. I also mentioned having the right tools. With artificial intelligence, I know the Air Force is looking into how we use that. I think there’s a big gain in terms of updating the de- partment’s business tools, reducing level of effort, sharing information, and getting our contracts correct. I think we’re not leveraging technology to the full extent we could be.
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MDAP PROGRAM MANAGER CHANGES With the assistance of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Defense Acquisition magazine publishes the names of incoming and outgoing program managers for major defense acquisition programs (MDAPs). This announcement lists such changes of leadership for both civilian and military program managers for the months of December 2024 through January 2025. ARMY
AIR FORCE None FOURTH ESTATE None
Mrs. Tinesha Nicholas relieved Mr. Stephen J. Bielamowicz as Product Manager for Terrain Shaping Obstacles effective December 2024. NAVY/MARINE CORPS None
March-April 2025 | DEFENSE ACQUISITION | 35
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