Speaking at the symposium, Maj. Gen. Roger Burg, director of strategic security for USAF air and space operations at the Pentagon, said the rise of asymmetric threats and gaps in today’s environment has created an ever-growing demand for Air Force space capability. Persistent ISR and global strike are held together by the Air Force’s space assets. He noted that Air Force portfolio spending on space-related capabilities—used by all services—has risen from 33 percent in the 1960s to 45 percent in the current budget. Soon, roughly half of the Air Force budget will go to fund “joint enablers,” said Burg. (Read our story “Follow the Money,” here.)
A new report from the Government Accountability Office calls for the Pentagon’s Chief Technology Officer to have budget certification authority over the military services’ research and development accounts—a move the services say would add a burdensome and unnecessary layer of bureaucracy.
