17 March 2000
Source: http://www.nro.gov/index4.html

See also report of March 8, 2000: http://crytpome.org/nro030800.htm

SUBJECT: Space Policy, Programs and Operations

NOT FOR PUBLICATION UNTIL RELEASED BY THE COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES, UNITED STATES SENATE

I am pleased to be here today to discuss the Air Force's vision for space. I applaud your initiative to hold this hearing in Colorado. This state has become an important center for US military space and I appreciate your willingness to visit our people and facilities. Within the context of the Air Force vision for space, I intend to highlight a number of important concepts and programs. These include the numerous partnerships with other space sectors and organizations, some of the most important space-related investments, and the primary challenge the Air Force faces with respect to maintaining dominance in space.

Criticality of US Space Capabilities and the Air Force Vision

Today, US space capabilities are an indispensable tool of global leadership. They allow our political leaders to base decisions on remarkably timely, detailed, and accurate information. Space systems enable our military leaders to achieve dominant battlefield awareness by providing global communications, precision navigation, accurate meteorological data, early warning of missile launches, and near-real time signals and imagery intelligence support. The global presence of space systems makes it possible for the US to more effectively respond to the wide range of threats presented by the post-Cold War world.

The Air Force is rapidly moving toward a new paradigm - a seamless Aerospace Force. Air and space are clearly distinct environments, with distinct sets of physical constraints and benefits. Despite these physical differences, airmen perceive the vertical dimension of air and space as a seamless operational medium.

The Air Force exploits the attributes of Aerospace Power (speed, range, precision, and altitude) to achieve the perspective, persistence, concentration, flexibility, and versatility necessary to prosecute the range of potential conflicts the nation may face.

As General Ryan has stated a number of times, we are already an aerospace force today. In the next several years, we plan to achieve the transformation into a more capable aerospace force to best serve our Joint Force Commanders and our nation. This transformation will require the integration of military capabilities across the aerospace medium. The results will forge an aerospace force with the capability to best shape the military and geopolitical environment on the ground. This new paradigm focuses more energy on capabilities than on platforms. While air, space, and aerospace platforms will constitute the primary force structure, the resulting synergistic capability will be much greater than the sum of the parts.

Today's Air Force is in a unique position to affect this shift to a new paradigm. We are developing the right partnerships and making the right investments in programs and technology. It is within the current Air Force trade space to identify functions best suited for air, for space, and for aerospace.

Strategic Partnerships
In this era of tightened budgets, the nation can no longer afford, nor should it accept, completely separate domains for intelligence, military, civil, and commercial space programs. Continued US space dominance will rely on the successful collaboration between the NRO, Air Force, NASA, and industry to deliver future space systems faster, better, and cheaper. As the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space and the Director of the NRO, I have worked with General Myers and with Mr. Dan Goldin to ensure we meet the needs of the national, military, and civil space communities. A few of the key partnerships and relationships include the Space Technology Alliance, the Air Force - NRO Integration Planning Group, Air Force/Department of Transportation, Air Force/NOAA, and emerging commercial relationships.

Space Technology Alliance

In 1997, the Air Force Research Laboratory, NASA, and the NRO created the Space Technology Alliance to coordinate the development of affordable, effective space technologies. This will allow us to avoid duplication of effort and ensure that we get the most out of our R&D funds. The program includes an exchange of personnel among the three agencies and biannual senior technology summits to review programs.

During the past year, the STA has kicked off a major effort to coordinate technology programs across the government in the area of space power, hyperspectral imaging, large optics, advanced communications, and micro-satellites. A first-ever community technology roadmap for space power has been completed and roadmaps for both hyperspectral imaging and large optics are nearly complete. These roadmaps, and the process by which they were created, have identified fruitful areas for collaborative efforts. They have also given the managers of technology programs a far more accurate picture of the R&D activities ongoing in their respective areas - allowing them to better plan their programs, more quickly respond to queries about their planning decisions, and better coordinate activities with colleagues in other agencies.

Air Force - NRO Integration Planning Group

The Air Force – NRO Integration Planning Group stood up this past June to find opportunities where cooperation will save taxpayer dollars and increase mission effectiveness. They've spearheaded initiatives to operationalize tools to provide rapid precision targeting for our nation's most advanced weapons, share communications infrastructure to avoid redundancy, and increase awareness of exploitable national contributions to the Air Force vision and operational requirements. They're currently exploring the cost and capability benefits of multi-mission space systems and the possible efficiencies of acquiring these systems through a joint Air Force and NRO program office. A similar effort is also beginning between the NRO and the Navy.

Air Force / Department of Transportation

The Global Positioning System (GPS), initially conceived as a precision navigation system for military forces, has now grown into an international industry. In 1996, the President directed the highly accurate GPS signal be made available unrestricted to the civil community. The Department of Transportation now plays a key role in the administration of the GPS system in partnership with the DoD. Together with the State Department, we are working with our international partners to make GPS the world's navigation system standard. To that end, the Japanese have just announced their intention to work closely with the US to promote broad and effective use of GPS.

Air Force / National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

The Air Force's Defense Meteorological Satellite Program will soon evolve into the National Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellite System, a joint DoD and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) operation.

The convergence of these operational DoD and NOAA satellite meteorology systems will save the US government $1.3 billion and create a more robust environmental sensing architecture for the nation. This architecture will also include a European partner, the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites. Further savings will be realized through this international cooperation where the Europeans are providing one of the three satellites needed to meet US requirements.

Air Force / Industry

In addition to the formal partnerships within the government, the Air Force and the NRO have reached out to private industry in some innovative ways. Until very recently, military and other government users have been the primary customers of the US space industry. That trend, however, has taken a dramatic shift. Commercial space spending now outpaces government spending. Private industry now provides global communications, and exploits the navigation solution transmitted by our GPS constellation. Moreover, it will soon provide high resolution imagery from space. Industry is now in a position to lead, rather than follow, the government customers. The changes we've made to our launch procurement strategy reflect this new reality.

Built with a focus on cost savings, improved reliability, operability, and maintainability, the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) team will re-engineer the entire Government launch process. No longer does the Government buy individual launch vehicles tailored to specific missions, but instead the Air Force buys a fixed price commercial "launch service," ensuring for the first time the contractor will have total systems performance responsibility for each launch under a single contract for a single price.

The launch service approach also allows the Air Force to radically downsize and streamline its program office and launch site operations, while focusing its remaining resources on insight of contractor processes versus oversight of individual launch vehicle production and launch operations. This commercial approach, when coupled with contractor cost sharing and partnering arrangements, has permitted the contractors to lease government land, launch facilities, and support buildings, thereby reducing government launch site presence and ensuring equitable sharing of launch base O&M costs between Government and commercial missions.

The EELV program has instituted a fundamental shift in the way DoD develops and acquires space related products and services. Cost-sharing, civil/military integration, and commercial services are now part of DoD's ever-growing acquisition reform arsenal. In addition to innovative partnering relationships, the Air Force has planned critical investments in numerous space programs. The next several paragraphs discuss a number of key investments the Air Force is making as we move into the 21st century.

Air Force Investments

The Air Force is investing heavily in space systems, programs, and technology as it moves towards its vision of an Aerospace Force. Key investments include the Global Positioning System (GPS) Modernization, the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV), the Space Based InfraRed System (SBIRS), satellite communications programs, Space Control, and a number of important technology demonstrators such as the Space Based Laser (SBL), Discoverer II, the Space Maneuver Vehicle (SMV) and the Micro-satellite initiatives.

GPS Modernization

The Air Force continues to sustain and modernize the GPS Space, Control, and user equipment segments. Satellites continue to perform longer than expected. Mean Mission Duration (MMD) for the Block II and IIA has increased from 6.0 to 8.6 years, and MMD for new Block IIR and Block IIF satellites is expected to be 7.5 and 12.7 years respectively, and may increase with on-orbit experience. Nineteen Block IIR satellites have been produced to replenish the current aging constellation from now to 2003 – everything is on track to support the next launch on 22 Apr 99. To provide long term sustainment of the GPS constellation, the first block of six GPS IIF satellites have been procured to support launches projected to begin in 2003. The FY00 President's Budget includes $267M over the FYDP to modernize the IIF satellites. This modernization includes the addition of new military signals to enable more robust Navwar operations in the future. We are also progressing with user equipment modernization. We expect to complete integration of the Selective Availability Anti-Spoofing Module (SAASM) in to GPS receiver applications modules (GRAMs) in FY00 as well as complete initial investments in anti-jam (AJ) filters and direct access to the encrypted signals and integrate them on to receiver cards to support FY01/02 procurements of hand-held and avionics units. In addition, we expect to complete initial investments in enhanced AJ antennas in FY01. Finally, the Air Force is supporting a Joint Staff review of current and projected future prevention systems to enable military operations without the need for Selective Availability. All of these activities reflect our commitment to implementing Presidential policy and congressional direction to enhance GPS.

Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV)

On October 16th 1998, the EELV Program culminated a three year effort to begin modernizing the US space launch fleet with the award of two $500 million EELV development agreements and two EELV Initial Launch Services (ILS) contracts valued at $2 billion. The ILS contracts cover 28 launches, 12 payload types, and 15 first-time payload integration efforts, with the first government launch in FY02 and the first commercial flights projected in FY01. In addition to the establishment of two internationally competitive commercial families of launch vehicles capable of meeting all Government and commercial needs, EELV's benefits include a 31% life cycle cost reduction over current Atlas, Delta, and Titan launch systems and $6.2B in validated savings. EELV will provide enhanced mass-to-orbit capability, broader operational flexibility, over $1B in launch infrastructure upgrades, and the formal transition to commercial launch services for all Air Force and NRO payloads. Challenged with the primary goals of meeting DoD's key performance parameters (mass-to-orbit, reliability, standardization) and reducing the cost of space launch by at least 25% over current launch systems, the EELV Program Team crafted and executed a comprehensive acquisition strategy. Their efforts simultaneously leveraged commercial competition and international market forces to reduce development risk, dramatically shorten first article delivery time to less than 36 months, incentivize industry investment of over $2.5B of their own funds, and create a true dual-use national launch system.

EELV represents a quantum leap in product, process, and service improvements over current launch systems.

Examples include the introduction of a standard payload interface (SIS), standard launch pads, and contractor assumption of all launch site operations and maintenance (O&M). The SIS, a common mechanical, electrical, and environmental payload to booster interface is an industry first. The benefits include a standard 24 month payload integration timeline, a common set of checkout/mating procedures, the ability to substitute payloads, and a rapid 45 day call-up capability (a 400% improvement over current 180 day call-up cycles). Beyond shortening integration timelines by up to 50%, streamlining integration activities, the SIS establishes a civil/military baseline for current and future satellite designs, potentially reducing payload development costs and schedules.

Standard launch pads and processes are also reducing launch costs and shortening on-pad cycle time. EELV is expected to be on the pad for 1-8 days versus 60-180 days for today's Atlas, Delta, and Titan systems. Pad operations have been further enhanced through the use of commercial launch operations and ISO 9000 quality standards versus old Military Standards. We believe the EELV program will provide the U.S with the critical launch capability necessary to compete more successfully for launch services in the international commercial marketplace and will ensure a more cost-effective space transportation capability for future national security space missions.

Space Based InfraRed System (SBIRS)

The Defense Support Program (DSP) has been a vital ISR system for many years. As the DSP nears the end of its service, the Air Force will gradually replace it with the more capable SBIRS, adding significant capability to our Theater Missile Defense (TMD) and NMD architecture.

The global coverage of SBIRS-High, with improved sensitivity and revisit rates over DSP, will allow better launch point determination, missile trajectory determination, and impact point prediction. These improvements will also ensure we can continue to detect, track, and assess the increasingly complex ballistic missile threats being fielded. SBIRS-Low will provide critical mid-course track data to the battle manager to allow accurate targeting and engagement of hostile threats. SBIRS improved early warning and tracking capabilities reduce the military utility and terror value of the weapons of mass destruction by greatly enhancing the response and effectiveness of active and passive defenses. In addition, SBIRS supports the roles of Technical Intelligence and Battlespace Characterization which will greatly improve our assessment of enemy capabilities, our situational awareness during conflict, and our engagement results.

SBIRS will provide the nation with new and improved warning and sensing capabilities for the next century, allowing the accomplishment of a greater number of missions from space. This system comprises a modernization effort to provide greatly improved Tactical Warning and Attack Assessment capabilities to replace those provided by DSP since the early 1970's, and adds new capabilities for Technical Intelligence and Battlespace Characterization. As we initiate our SBIRS deployments, the DSP program, which currently has 5 replacement satellites awaiting launch, will be sustained to allow continuous global surveillance during this transition period.

The completed SBIRS will consist of constellations of geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO), highly elliptical orbit (HEO), and low earth orbit (LEO) spacecraft as well as a supporting ground infrastructure.

SBIRS-High will be composed of 4 GEO spacecraft to provide hemispherical coverage and 2 HEO sensors to provide polar coverage. SBIRS-Low will be composed of approximately 24 LEO satellites, with the actual number to be determined during the program definition phase. The SBIRS ground segment consists of a consolidated ground station, overseas-based Relay Ground Stations, and Mobile Multi-Mission Processors.

The Air Force recently announced a restructuring of the SBIRS program. This restructuring was only implemented after careful consideration to mission risk and the overall DoD Ballistic Missile Defense efforts.

SBIRS-High first GEO launch was delayed by 2 years until FY04. In the short term this slip freed up much needed FY00 funds for higher priority programs and Air Force readiness. The Ballistic Missile Defense Organization's budget supports deployment of National Missile Defense Capability 1 (NMD C1) in FY05; the reprogrammed SBIRS High constellation will support this date.

The SBIRS-Low first launch was delayed 2 years to FY06. This decision was driven by technical and schedule challenges. Updated assessments concluded a FY04 launch was extremely risky and impractical. A SBIRS-Low launch in FY06 supports the NMD schedule for Capability 2 in FY10.

A decision to eliminate two on-orbit demonstrations from the SBIRS-Low program, after formulation of the FY00 budget, was driven by rapidly diminishing returns on investment. Significant risk reductions have been achieved by these efforts to date. However, continued cost growth was consuming program funds at a rate that made the demonstration program unexecutable. The Air Force developed an alternative strategy to ensure SBIRS-Low remained executable and on schedule for an FY06 launch.

By terminating the two demonstrations, the Air Force was able to redirect funds toward a more timely risk reduction focused directly on the objective SBIRS-Low design. Meanwhile other on-orbit demonstrations have demonstrated much of the technology critical to SBIRS. An expanded Program Definition Risk Reduction focuses more resources on the objective system and should result in a more mature system design when the Engineering Manufacture Development phase of the program is competed.

Satellite Communications

Our space-based communications systems continue evolution towards Air Expeditionary Force and Joint Vision 2010 operations based on seamless movement of information for joint warfighters in any theater of operations around the globe. The mix of MILSATCOM systems being acquired by the Air Force for DoD provides responsive and flexible connectivity with a range of services from high survivability to wide-band capacity to one-way broadcast. These systems meet the DoD MILSATCOM Architecture as validated by the Joint Requirements Oversight Council (JROC).

We continue to pursue the Defense Satellite Communications System (DSCS) upgrade, to provide a more than 200% increased capacity to theater tactical users on the last four satellites. In addition, we are deploying the Global Broadcast Service (GBS) Phase 2 infrastructure that will provide very high data rate communications directly to small terminals in the battlefield. Also, commercial-like Wideband Gapfiller satellites launched in 2004 and 2005 will be part of our transition from DSCS and early GBS to the Advanced Wideband satellite scheduled for first launch in 2008.

GBS, Wideband Gapfiller and Advance Wideband will reduce costs and fielding time by making maximum use of commercial technology and practices.

We will continue to launch Milstar, the Air Force's highly survivable SATCOM system, and plan to replenish it with the higher capacity Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) system starting in 2006. To support the AEHF development, we are investing in the enabling technologies to reduce cost and risk, and take maximum advantage of commercial digital satellite investments.

All these new systems will be acquired with supporting control subsystems and terminals for the new frequency bands and waveforms being fielded. Specifically, we plan to begin developing and procuring more airborne terminals to communicate over Milstar and the higher capacity AEHF system in FY03. Our program also includes the development and acquisition of terminals to replace unsupportable MILSATCOM terminals.

Space Control

The Air Force is committed to maintaining leadership in space with technology readiness for a full range of space control capabilities. Our overall strategy is to deter threats to our assets in space, protect them, and, when directed, to deny space capabilities to our adversaries. Our approach is to provide a balance between space surveillance, protection, prevention, and negation capabilities commensurate with emerging threats.

In addition to the $7.5 million Congress appropriated to begin Space Control Technology development in FY99, the Air Force has initially budgeted $10M per year across the FYDP to sustain development of a comprehensive space control plan and a range of space control technology activities.

We are planning research and technology activities, including demonstrations as needed, across all aspects of space control. We are doing this consistent with national policy, the threat, and in support of Space Control Capstone Requirements validated by the Joint Requirements Oversight Council in December 1998. To this end, we are also conducting a space surveillance architecture study to determine what changes need to be made now, and in the future, to meet the growing Space Control requirements. In the areas of protection, we are working to enhance the Global Positioning Satellite system to protect its use by friendly forces and to have the capability to prevent its use by adversaries. We are also planning to pursue negation technologies that could lead to capabilities that have localized, temporary, and reversible effects as part of our broader information and force protection capabilities.

Space-Based Laser (SBL)

The Air Force and the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization (BMDO) awarded a Joint Venture (JV) contract in February 1999 to the SBL Community Team of Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and TRW. The SBL team will develop an Integrated Flight Experiment (IFX) to accomplish the technical advancement and collection of engineering data needed to make sound decisions on the future of an operational SBL system.

The IFX will integrate the high energy laser, beam control system, and acquisition, tracking, and pointing elements into a space platform. After launch in the 2010-2012 time frame, the IFX will perform a series of on-orbit experiments to acquire engineering design and performance data consistent with extrapolation to an operational system, determine the capability of the integrated system to deposit enough energy in a short enough time span to destroy a boosting ballistic missile, and investigate possible contributions to global aerospace superiority. The SBL Joint Venture team is best positioned to resolve the technical challenges and conduct a successful experiment to demonstrate boost phase intercept capability from space, while enhancing competition for future procurement.

Thus far the SBL program has been successful in reducing the cost and technical risks of deploying and operating multi-megawatt lasers in space. The 1998 achievement of high power laser autonomous laser alignment demonstrates that the critical laser optical path can be monitored and adjusted remotely from the ground. The SBL program has developed, simplified and proven several key subsystems such as uncooled, deformable mirrors, resulting in a 40 percent reduction in spacecraft weight and significantly reducing optical component production cost and time.

In spite of the SBL program's technical achievements, there was concern that an IFX would not be launched soon enough to enable an operational SBL system in time to meet the projected threat. In response, the Air Force and BMDO increased funding for the SBL program by $46M per year through the FYDP ($29M per year from the Air Force, $17M per year from BMDO), raising the total to $139M per year. This additional funding will be used to accelerate risk reduction and technology development prior to the IFX.

BMDO recently sponsored the third Independent Review Team (IRT-3) as part of the ongoing assessment of technological readiness, role, and content for an effective IFX. The IRT-3 concluded the range of appropriate time frames for an IFX launch is 2010 to 2012. Currently planned budget levels and priorities lead to a launch planned for 2012. The team noted that achieving operational capability is less dependent on an IFX launch date than DoD commitment to deployment and "the IRT perceives that the Department is embarking on such a program." The IRT-3 recommended the Air Force lay out a specific series of near-, mid-, and far-term milestones to ensure disciplined progress toward the IFX and enhance readiness to deploy an operational system. The team also recommended including deployable optics in the IFX to reduce risk for the overall SBL effort. Finally, IRT-3 reiterated the need for a ground facility to provide end-to-end system checkout before launch, and that such a facility should be operational at least 2 years before planned launch.

Discoverer II

The Discoverer II program takes the concept of "Force Multiplier" to a new level by putting teeth in the front-end of the Find Fix Track Target and Engage (F2T2E) construct. Furthermore, it serves as a flagship program for Air Force partnership with the NRO in space and directly integrates Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) expertise and investment in advanced sensor and information technologies.

The objective of this technology demonstration program is to establish the technical feasibility and affordability of a robust operational space-based Ground Moving Target Indicator (GMTI) and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imaging system. We envision such a system providing near-continuous global surveillance, reconnaissance, and precision mapping directly to the theater or joint task force commander. The Air Force, NRO, and DARPA jointly and equally funded the program in response to the Defense Science Board's recommendation to develop leading edge, higher risk technologies to meet warfighters' needs at lower cost. The program is jointly managed and Air Force administered and is structured to provide for a phased decision process leading to an objective system constellation in the 2010 timeframe. Two demonstration satellites will be launched in FY03 and FY04, with on-orbit demonstrations to be complete at the end of FY04.

Space S&T

The Air Force is committed to transitioning to a fully integrated Aerospace Force. Preparatory work in Science and Technology must lead the way. The Air Force "Doable Space" Study chartered by the Chief of Staff and led by the Air Force's Chief Scientist provided insight into what is doable. Building on that, the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) in November produced a detailed "Space Roadmap for the 21st Century Aerospace Force." In response to this and in preparation for the transition to an Aerospace Force, the Air Force S&T community has more than doubled its S&T investment in "space-only" technologies from about 13% in FY 1999 to 30% a year by FY 2005.

This increase in investments is primarily focused in five areas: space-based radar, space-based lasers, reusable launch vehicles like the space operations vehicle, space systems survivability, adaptive optics, and hyperspectral imaging--all areas highlighted in the SAB Roadmap. Furthermore, AFRL, SMC, and AFSPC are working together more closely than ever through the Air Force's Modernization Planning Process to link S&T investments to mission needs.

As space technology requirements are growing, it is important to leverage all the S&T efforts of government and industry in development of space technology to avoid duplication and overlap. The Space Technology Alliance was founded to coordinate the development of affordable, effective space technology products among all space technology developers for the greatest return on investment of government technology funds. The STA is developing coordinated roadmaps which will increase leveraging.

The technology pipeline is bearing fruit. For example, MightySat 1, the first in a series of low-cost AFRL small satellites which will demonstrate component technologies in a space environment, was launched from the Space Shuttle in December of 1998. MightySat I is demonstrating important new technologies for advanced power, structures, electronics, deployment mechanisms, and sampling the space environment. Miniaturization is an important ingredient of developing space technology and the Air Force is doing this across the board from microcontrollers that fit on postage stamps to Transmit/Receive Antenna Modules (TRAMs) that are 75% smaller than current state of the art phased array antennas to miniaturized on-board satellite natural space hazard alert warning systems, scheduled to fly on Defense Support Program (DSP) 21 in FY00. The pervasive impact of Air Force Space S&T is not always clear. For example, 90% of all US satellites (government and commercial) incorporate AFRL developed electronics technology.

The Air Force recognizes it is in the best interest of national security to have low cost reliable access to space. While NASA has the lead in developing reusable launch vehicle (RLV) technology efforts, the Air Force has been the lead for ensuring that technologies to support unique military requirements for reusable launch vehicles are developed. After the line item veto of the FY98 $10M, the military spaceplane became known as the Space Operations Vehicle (SOV) system which includes an SOV Launch Vehicle (LV) and an upper stage like the Space Maneuver Vehicle (SMV). The SMV is envisioned to be a reusable, unmanned orbiting vehicle with integral propulsion that completes an on-orbit mission, reenters the atmosphere and lands for retasking. On August 11, 1998, a 90% scale model SMV demonstrator made a very successful first flight at Holloman AFB, New Mexico. This unmanned vehicle demonstrated an autonomous, unpowered approach and landing following release from an Army helicopter 9,000 feet above the ground. As the next step in developing SMV technologies, the Air Force has recently partnered with NASA following their selection of Boeing's X-37 Advanced Technology Vehicle (ATV) as a NASA Future-X Pathfinder. The Air Force is investing $11.1M beyond the $10M from the FY98 funds to make the ATV more SMV-like, i.e., more militarily useful, by primarily increasing its ability to stay on orbit and to maneuver.

Another major area of interest is the Microsatellite Technology Development Program. This program focuses on technologies for miniaturization and microsatellites such as multifunctional structures for affordability and open architecture satellites with standard interfaces which can be reconfigured on orbit for different missions. The program also focuses on integrating and demonstrating these technologies in space to support a number of important areas such as satellite servicing, autonomous operations, and space surveillance. There is a series of planned microsat missions starting with the approved XSS-10 mission which would step through increasingly more stressing scenarios to demonstrate the utility of these technologies to the warfighter.

Budgetary Stability

Through partnerships and investments, the Air Force is clearly positioned to continue its leadership role in space and is well on the way to achieving the vision of an integrated Aerospace Force. That is not to say, however, that the path will be easy. The Air Force must overcome important challenges to this vision. The primary challenge is funding.

I strongly believe the Air Force is committed to space. We have demonstrated this in our stable funding of key space programs and our increased investment in space-related technology. We've reached out to the rest of the government and to private industry to create relationships which increase our efficiency and effectiveness. Finally, we are looking hard at our own internal organization to ensure we are best positioned to exploit space and all that it offers the military and the nation. We do, however, need your help in providing robust, stable funding. We must be fiscally prepared to maintain the readiness and force structure required for today's challenges.

Yet we must also prepare for tomorrow's challenges. With your strong support the Air Force can vigorously exploit the technologies required to create operational capability.

Conclusion

The Air Force is proud to be the leader in military space operations. We face a number of technological and fiscal challenges in the near future. We are, however, poised to achieve our vision of an Aerospace Force. We appreciate the continued strong support of the Congress. I ask that Congress support the Air Force's efforts in space with a robust and stable budget that will allow us to maintain the reliable support to our warfighters and to the nation.