specialties needed (PMs, system engineers, legal, contracting, secu- rity, information technology, human resources, financial management). We awarded initial support contracts and set up facilities, networks, etc. We stood up program offices, devel- oped acquisition strategies, cleared a key vendor pool to security accesses required to compete, and continued to “build the satellite while on the launchpad”—because that’s what the nation needed. Six years later, we’ve had front row seats to the stand-up of the USSF and the accompanying revolution in thought about the definitions and role of military space , or, more traditionally put, spacepower . The last two-plus years under Sal- tzman ushered in a new era of un- derstanding what spacepower really means. He directly, elegantly, and poignantly communicated the USSF’s mission to secure our nation’s inter- ests in, from, and to space: the firm belief that space superiority is the foundational purpose of the USSF and the understanding that a combination of awareness, resilience, and respon- sible counterspace capabilities are required for success in that mission. Saltzman and many other Service leaders and operational command- ers also communicated the dire con- sequences of failing in that mission, that if we lose the space fight … we lose
the Joint fight , which means losing lives and likely failing to meet national security objectives. This fortifies the criticality of Space RCO’s role in the USSF acquisition ecosystem of rap- idly delivering combat-capable space systems that protect U.S. and allied space assets and defend Joint Forces from being targeted with the help of adversary space systems. This is what drives our people every day and has us putting in the “extra hours in the dance studio” as we forge our version of the acquisition cha-cha. Don’t Try This at Home Some of our dance moves are de- scribed below, but they come with a big caveat: What works for Space RCO may not work for others . Rapidly ac- quiring first-of, operational, protect- and-defend systems is a different animal than acquisition of enterprise systems with programs of record, and long-term acquisition and sustain- ment. Our organizational structure, size, location, and authorities were all deliberately selected with Space RCO’s unique mission in mind. Structure. We’re relatively flat, with our director dual-hatted as the PEO, two senior materiel leaders, and about a dozen PMs/program teams, matrixed with all functional support. Size. Our entire workforce is about 250 people, including civilians, mili- tary, and on-site support contractors.
Almost all program teams have fewer than a dozen people, despite manag- ing very large acquisition programs. Direct interaction with our PMs on at least a weekly basis helps our PEO understand and track program status and personally engage with our pro- grammatic stakeholders. [Note: Our PEO also has a technical Ph.D. and a pristinely calibrated “BS-meter,” but that’s an article for another day.] Location. We’re headquartered at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquer- que, New Mexico, with additional staff near Los Angeles, Colorado Springs, and the National Capital Region. Al- though it’s not exactly the “wild, wild west,” there is something to be said about being removed from the USSF “centers of gravity” and being collo- cated with innovative partners like the Air Force Research Laboratory (Space Vehicles and Directed Energy directorates) and Space Systems Command’s Innovation and Proto- typing Delta (SSC/SZI). (There’s also something to be said about 310 days of sunshine a year, breathtaking sun- rises and sunsets, our famous green chile, and endless outdoor recreation, all at a much lower price point, but we digress.)
Saltzman and many other Service leaders and operational commanders also communicated the dire consequences of failing in that mission, that if we lose the space fight … we lose the Joint fight, which means losing lives and likely failing to meet national security objectives.
56 | DEFENSE ACQUISITION | March-April 2025
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