Space Force acquisition reorg moves in the right direction

Following a 90-day review, the head of Space Systems Command Lt. Gen. Michael Guetlein proposed a new structure built around five program executive offices: Assured Access to Space; Battle Management Command, Control, and Communications (BMC3); Space Domain Awareness and Combat Support; Communications & Positioning Navigation and Timing (PNT); and Space Sensing.

 

… The SSC overhaul reverses the previous SMC structure — dubbed SMC 2.0 — that the Air Force conceived in 2018 and completed by 2019. Under SMC 2.0 programs were overseen by five major offices: a portfolio architect, a development corps, a production corps, an enterprise corps and an office of special programs.

That was from a useful Space News article. I have written on this several times that the SMC 2.0 structure goes against good portfolio management principles. Because programs may be prototyped by the Space RCO, developed by the Development Corps, put into production by the Production Corps, and have launch, comms, and other enterprise services from the Enterprise Corps, there exists this many-to-many relation between organizations, budget portfolios, and programs. That doesn’t allow anyone to act like a true portfolio manager with delegated decision authority. The Space Force seems to have recognized this issue:

“And what we quickly found when we stood up Space Systems Command was that we had created a whole lot of artificial seams between programs.” That type of organization had some benefits but ultimately slowed SMC’s ability to rapidly respond to the threat with an “end-to-end capability,” Guetlein said.

The new Space Force PEOs align reasonably well with the portfolios proposed in the in 2020 including Command and Control for Space Forces, Missile Warning and Support; Space Domain Awareness; Space Services (e.g., launch, ranges), Support to Operations (e.g., Comms, Nav). It also pushes the Space Force away from a functional organization, not all that difference from SMC 1.0 with its nine directorates.

Now that the Space Force has aligned its acquisition with reasonable portfolios that represent important capability areas, it should move ahead with its Alternative Acquisition System report recommendations from 2020 that recommended consolidation of budget line items into portfolios. Though that will require additional thinking in terms of reporting and oversight, it will really create a breakthrough for improving outcomes. And this is the type of thing that the new Commission on PPBE Reform should support in terms of thought leadership and piloting.

*Note, the table does not include the Space Rapid Capabilities Office (SpRCO) and the Space Development Agency (SDA), which have their own evolving stories. The SpRCO reports to a board of directors, and the SDA  has not yet been integrated into Space Systems Command, though it appears SecAF Kendall intends that outcome.