It’s been four years since then-private citizen Donald Rumsfeld chaired the blue ribbon “Space Commission” that took DOD to task for not adequately developing a well-educated corps of professional military space personnel. Now, the GAO says, in a new report on the Pentagon’s progress towards developing a “space cadre,” that DOD has made little progress as a whole. GAO does credit the individual services, particularly the Air Force with 91 percent of the space force, for pursuing their own space professional strategies. However, the Congressional watchdog agency says its high-time for DOD to set a defensewide strategy. The Pentagon concurs with GAO recommendations. One is to better define Executive Agent for Space responsibilities toward the space cadre. Another is to set performance measures.
The Pentagon has concluded a new agreement to buy laser-guidance kits that turn rockets into drone-killing weapons. BAE Systems and the Defense Department announced a framework deal of up to seven years for 25,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System guidance kits annually for the U.S. military.