HASC Report on FY2011 DOD Authorization Bill

HASC Report on FY2011 DOD Authorization Bill

The House Armed Services Committee has reported out the FY2011 National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 5136). The report, H. Rept. 111-491, is available via the committee’s website or from the Government Printing Office. The House Rules Committee will take up the bill tomorrow (Wednesday) at 1:00 pm. Space program-related actions include the following:

  • Cuts $40.9 million (from $40.9 million to zero) for High Integrity Global Positioning System (HIGPS) because the benefits of this approach have not been sufficiently justified;
  • Increases by $5 million (from $405.7 million to $410.7 million) funding for the Navy’s Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) in order to fund commercially-hosted payloads and the development of additional UHF augmentation by the commercial satellite industry for military use because of delays in the MUOS program and the importance of UHF satellite communications;
  • Includes report language directing the Secretary of Defense (SecDef) to study the option of hosting defense payloads on commercial satellites;
  • Increases funding by $30 million (from $28 million to $58 million) for research and development of a common upper stage for the Delta and Atlas rockets;
  • Cuts funding by $300 million (from $325.5 million to $25.5 million) for the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) saying that it will not support additional funding for the program until DOD has a process for determining its path forward for weather satellites;
  • Increases funding by $50 million (from zero to $50 million) for next generation military satellite communications technology development;
  • Increases funding by $40 million (from $94 million to $134 million) for Operationally Responsive Space;
  • Cuts funding by $30 million (from $185.9 million $155.9 million) for Space Based Space Surveillance because the Air Force plans to decelerate acquisition of the follow-on to the Block 10 system that is still awaiting launch;
  • Includes report language directing the Secretary of the Air Force to prepare a technology development and investment plan for moderate accuracy, survivable star trackers;
  • Increases funding by $3 million (from zero to $3 million in addition to the $111.9 million requested for space technology) for the Technology Research and Innovation Outreach for Space (TIROS) project to expand the number of private sector companies, universities and government entities participating in the nation’s small satellite space sector;
  • Requires the SecDef and Director of National Intelligence to maintain the capability to conduct integrated national security space architecture planning, development, coordination and analysis;
  • Requires the Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency to designate a lead integrator for foreign space and counterspace defense intelligence analysis. noting that the National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC) held this role in the past but the DIA Director recently prohibited NASIC from conducting original intelligence analysis in certain counterspace mission areas; and
  • Recommends that an agency providing a certification to Congress as required by law relating to the conversion of excess ballistic missiles for use as space launch vehicles do so in a timely manner and with sufficient detail to allow Congress to review and take action if necessary.

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