‘Quit Building Big’: Space Force Officials Talk Need for Speed and Agility

Overclassification another challenge for space defense

The reusable first stage of a SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies Corp.) Falcon 9 rocket returns to land after the launch of the NROL-87 spy satellite payload for the National Reconnaissance Office from the SLC-4E launch pad at Vandenberg U.S. Space Force Base in Lompoc, Calif., on Feb. 2, 2022. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

Defense officials told senators what they think the United States must do to compete with China and other rivals in space.

Time, they agreed, is of the essence.

“The trick is to quit building big,” said Frank Calvelli, assistant secretary of the Air Force for space acquisition and integration, in answer to a question from Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) during a May 2 hearing.

“I want to be the guy who watches it, has appropriate oversight, but doesn’t get in the way and become the ‘gotcha person,’” Cramer said.

Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) speaks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Oct. 6, 2021. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

“Big satellites take a long time to go build, and the fundamental model we need to drive to is to build much smaller satellite systems, to use existing technology, and do it [in] about three years,” Calvelli said.

“Not only will we gain speed, but we'll do technology refresh dramatically faster because every three years, we’re updating the technology, compared to today, where we might build a satellite over seven to nine years, and you’re [not] upgrading that technology until the next block, which is another seven to nine years, so you’re taking 15 years to upgrade the technology.

“We can move faster, get more in orbit, and upgrade technology faster by building smaller,” he continued.

“Moving at speed is really important. I think it’s going to unlock things we haven’t even considered yet,” said John F. Plumb, assistant secretary of defense for space policy.

He said more tolerance for failures would help ensure that rapid development isn’t derailed.

“We cannot afford to have systems shut down because some small percentage of them failed, and I think that’s been the tendency for large, exquisite systems, which is added cost and time,” Plumb said.

Plumb and Calvelli testified on the need for speed during a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Strategic Forces.

They were there to discuss President Joe Biden’s fiscal 2024 budget request for the Department of Defense’s space activities.

President Donald Trump stands as chief of space operations as U.S. Space Force Gen. John Raymond (2nd from left) and Chief Master Sgt. Roger Towberman (1st from right) hold the U.S. Space Force flag as it is presented in the Oval Office on May 15, 2020. Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett stands to the far left. Alex Brandon/AP Photo

The Pentagon wants $33.3 billion in space-related spending. The U.S. Space Force wants $30 billion, up $3.7 billion from its enacted budget for fiscal 2023.

Created by former President Donald Trump, Space Force is part of the Department of the Air Force.

Big-ticket space items include a missile warning and missile tracking system comprising what the budget request describes as “a constellation of proliferated low-earth orbit and medium-earth orbit satellites.”

Gen. David D. Thompson, vice chief of space operations for Space Force, explained that the move to proliferated satellites furthered a shift from an earlier paradigm, which relied on a smaller quantity of larger satellites.

David Thompson (L), then-vice commander of U.S. Air Force Space Command, testifies before the Senate Aviation and Space Subcommittee in Washington on May 14, 2019. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

He told the senators he felt more confident than in past years regarding the United States’ progress in space relative to China.

Overclassification

Lawmakers and officials also discussed overclassification, seen as another barrier to speedy innovation at the bleeding edge of space technology.

Plumb told Sen. Debra Fischer (R-Neb.) that he and his colleagues were collaborating with the intelligence community to eliminate “legacy systems” that hamper cooperation on space defense.

“We’ve got the right partners in the IC [intelligence community],” Plumb said.

Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) asked Thompson whether Washington is developing something related to space defense that’s akin to the “Five Eyes” intelligence linking the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) talks with reporters as he walks through the Senate subway on his way to a vote at the U.S. Capitol on June 21, 2021. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

“Secretary Plumb hosts a forum that we call the Combined Space Operations Initiative,” Thompson said.

“It includes not only the Five Eyes partners, but we’ve expanded to other like-minded allies—Germany and France and Japan and even folks like South Korea.”

He said spending constraints helped motivate that international coordination. “We can no longer afford to provide all of the capabilities ourselves.”