The United States and Spain will share space situational awareness services and information under a new memorandum of understanding. US Strategic Command director of plans and policy, Maj. Gen. Clinton Crosier, and the head of the plans division on the Spanish joint staff signed the agreement in December, according to a Feb. 16 release. “Our space systems underpin a wide range of services, providing vital national, military, civil, scientific, and economic benefits to the global community. Space situational awareness, which requires cooperation in order to be effective, is one of many approaches used to ensure we continue benefitting from this critical domain,” Adm. Cecil Haney, commander of USSTRATCOM, said in a written release. Spain joins nine other countries, two intergovernmental organizations, and more than 50 commercial satellite owners, operators, and launchers in sharing space situational awareness data with USSTRATCOM. “As more countries, companies, and organizations field space capabilities and benefit from the use of space systems, it is in our collective interest to act responsibly, promote transparency, and enhance the long-term sustainability, stability, safety, and security of space,” Haney said. (See also: Fostering International Partnerships.)
A massive contract to manage thousands of PCS moves failed because U.S. Transportation Command did not adequately oversee the results, according to the Government Accountability Office.
