Congressional Record: August 3, 2001 (Senate)
Page S8913-S8972

          STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS



      By Mr. ALLARD (for himself and Mr. Smith of New Hampshire):
  S. 1368. A bill to amend title 10, United States Code, to improve the
organization and management of the Department of Defense with respect
to space programs and activities, and for other purposes; to the
Committee on Armed Services.
  Mr. ALLARD. Mr. President, today I rise to introduce, along with
Senator Bob Smith, a bill to improve the organization and management of
the Department of Defense with respect to space programs and
activities. To my very good friend, I would like to extend my
congratulations for being the driving force in establishing the
``Commission to Assess United States National Security Space Management
and Organization'' or better known as the Space Commission which led to
this legislation.
  The Commission looked at the role of organization and management in
the development and implementation of national-level guidance and in
establishing requirements, acquiring and operating systems, and
planning, programming and budgeting for national security space
capabilities. What the Commission found is that the United States
dependence on space is creating vulnerabilities and demands on our
space systems which requires space to be recognized as a top national
security priority. This priority must begin at the top with the
President and must be embraced by the country's leaders.
  Senator Smith and I agree that space must be a top priority and that
is why we are introducing this legislation. We want this to be a
statement to everyone, that space is a priority and must be treated as
such.
  The Commission also concluded that these new vulnerabilities and
demands are not adequately addressed by the current management
structure at the Department. The Commission found that a number of
space activities should be merged, chains of command adjusted, lines of
communications opened and policies modified to achieve greater
responsibility and accountability.
  I understand the Department is making some of these changes today.
However, we believe Congress should show its support to our military
men and women involved in space that Congress wants them to succeed and
that we will provide the tools for them to achieve that goal.
  This legislation will provide the Secretary of Defense the tools he
needs for more effective management and organization of space program
and activities. Specifically the legislation:
  Provides permissive authority for the Secretary of Defense to
establish an Under Secretary of Defense for Space, Intelligence and
Information--This permissive authority will provide the Secretary of
Defense flexibility.
  Designates the duties of the Under Secretary of Defense for Space,
Intelligence and Information, provides for an additional Assistant
Secretary of Defense (conditional on creation of the new Under
Secretary of Defense position). This provision follows the
recommendations of the Commission.
  Requires the Secretary of Defense to issue a report 30 days prior to
exercise of the authority to establish the new Under Secretary position
on the proposed organization; and requires a report one year after
enactment if the new position has not been created to describe how the
intent of the Space Commission is being implemented.
  Establishes the Secretary of the Air Force as the Executive Agent for
DOD space programs for DOD functions designated by the Secretary of
Defense; and assigns to acquisition executive function to the Under
Secretary of the Air Force. The Secretary of Defense has flexibility in
assigning and defining functions of the Executive Agent;
  Assigns the Under Secretary of the Air Force as the director of the
NRO; and directs the Under Secretary of the Air Force to coordinate the
space activities of DOD and the NRO;
  Directs the Under Secretary of the Air Force to establish a space
career field and directs the Secretary of the Air Force to assign the
Commander of Air Force Space Command to manage the space career field.
Establishment of career field is an important commission recommendation
and key indicator concerning AF implementation.
  Requires that, to the maximum extent practicable, space programs be
jointly managed. I believe this will encourage the Army and Navy to
develop space personnel.
  Creates a major force program for space which will provide visibility
into space program funding.
  Requires a GAO assessment of the progress made by DOD in implementing
the recommendations of the Space Commission.
  Requires the commander of Air Force Space Command to be a four star
general; and prohibits the commander of Air Force Space Command from
serving concurrently as CINCSPACE or and commander of the U.S. element
of NORAD--Elevates space component commander to level of all other
major Air Force component commanders
  Finally, it expresses the sense of Congress that CINCSPACE should be
the best qualified four-star officer from the Army, Navy, Marines, or
Air Force--Rotation of CINCSPACE will encourage Army, Navy, and Marines
to develop space expertise

[[Page S8941]]

  These measures provide the authority which, if exercised by the
Secretary, can provide the focus and attention that space programs and
activities deserve. This is imperative in a world where some
technology's life span can be less than 24 months. DOD must be able to
respond to these changing environments.
  Mr. President, I want to thank my colleague for joining with me in
this effort to provide the Department the tools it needs to make space
a top national security priority. We look forward to seeing this bill
becoming law and welcome all Senators to join us on this important
legislation.
  Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. Mr. President, I am pleased to send to
the desk a bill that will make improvements in our current national
security space management and organization.
  I am delighted to stand here today and state that the Department of
Defense is moving forward to implement the recommendations of the
Commission to Assess United States National Security Space Management
and Organization, more commonly known as the Space Commission. I pushed
my colleagues to charter this group of 13 senior military-space experts
in the Fiscal Year 1999 Defense Authorization Act to assess the
management of military space matters today and make recommendations to
strengthen the national security space organization in the future.
  It is a wonderful coincidence that the chairman of the bipartisan
Space Commission, the Honorable Donald Rumsfeld, was appointed by
President Bush and confirmed by the Senate for the position of
Secretary of Defense. As a result, Secretary Rumsfeld brings to his
position a keen appreciation of the importance of space to the future
national security of the United States.
  The Space Commission, the efforts of the Secretary of Defense, and
this proposed legislation will set this nation on a bold new course.
More than fifty years ago, this nation took a similar bold step in
establishing military air power with the creation of the U.S. Air
Force. This decision, under the National Security Act of 1947, was
signed into law by President Truman and dramatically restructured our
institutional approach to military air power. This restructuring
resulted from years of air-power management problems under the Army,
insufficient reforms under the Army Air Corps established in 1926, and
assessments of numerous committees like the recent Space Commission.
  The military management and organizational reforms of fifty years ago
were a great success, and today, quite a bit has changed for the
better. As a result of the formation of a separate service focused on
air power, we soon developed, and have had, right up to today, the best
equipped and best trained Air Force in the world. The U.S. Air Force is
capable of surpassing any enemy.

  However, we have come to see that there are structural limitations
inherent in the Air Force today with respect to space power just as
there were in the Army fifty years ago with respect to air power. The
Army has been structured to meet ground requirements. Its training,
doctrine, leaders, and culture are all focused on fighting ground
battles. For systemic reasons, the Army was not able to develop a
strong, viable military air power. Therefore, the Air Force was created
by the 1947 National Security Act which called for the creation of a
separate organization designed to deal specifically with air power.
  There are many parallels between the early struggle for air power
that led to the creation of the Air Force and the issues we face today
in seeking space power. The similarities between these two issues are
truly astounding.
  Today, space is used only in support of air, land, and sea warfare in
much the same manner that air power was at first seen as only a way to
support ground forces. Space today is used to provide ``information
superiority'' in support of other missions, but there is the potential
for so much more. We, as a Nation, need to stop talking and dreaming of
a dominant space presence and start doing. We must recognize the
importance of space as a permanent frontier for the military, so that
America may proceed into space with the same confidence, assurance, and
authority that marked our entrance into the skies.
  Currently, space programs are raided for funds ten times more often
than other Air Force programs because space programs are either not
aggressively defended and/or not aggressively executed consistent with
the intent of Congress. Other space opportunities like the military
space plane, an air and space vehicle promising future power projection
from the U.S. to anywhere in the world in 45 minutes or less, are
extremely important to the cost-effective transformation of the
military especially during this period of shrinking American military
presence around the globe. Yet the space plane and most of the space
programs continue to be underfunded. We need a better leader in space.
  The reason for this is simple: the top priority of the Air Force is
and will remain air power, not space power. The top jobs do and will
continue to elude space officers in an Air Force run by pilots unless
we can create an organization whose job it would be to defend space
programs, to make sure that funding for space opportunities goes where
it is supposed to go, and does not get rerouted back to other non-space
programs.
  Space is too important a frontier and too vital a resource to be
allowed to remain untapped and unexplored, undefended and unmanned.
America's future security and prosperity depends on our constant
vigilance. We cannot afford to ignore space because our enemies will
not. While we are ahead of any potential rival in exploiting space, we
are not unchallenged. Our future superiority is by no means assured. To
ensure superiority, we must combine expansive thinking with a sustained
and substantial commitment of resources and vest them in a dedicated,
politically powerful, independent advocate for space.
  The way it is organized today, the Air Force is not building the
material, cultural, or organizational foundations of a service
dedicated to space power. Where are the space science and technology
investments? Where is the funding for key space-power programs? Where
are the personnel investments? What concrete steps are being taken to
build a dedicated cadre of young space-warfare officers?
  Before closing, let me assure my colleagues of what this legislation
is and what it is not. This legislation is about streamlined
management, efficient operations, and the elimination of redundancy. It
is about establishing an advocate for space who can evaluate space
opportunities and bring those proposals forward to the President and
Congress for disposition. It is about maximizing the national-security
capability for every tax dollar spent. I have seen press stories that
twisted Secretary Rumsfeld's support of the Space Commission
recommendations as an intent to weaponize space. Let me assure my
colleagues that this bill does not weaponize space. This is about
management and organization. It is about good government. Enacting this
legislation merely ensures that the concrete management reforms
recommended by the Space Commission are implemented quickly.
  The Secretary of Defense, the Services, and the Intelligence
Community all support the unanimous bipartisan recommendations from the
Space Commission. I urge my Colleagues to support this bill which
implements those recommendations. Space is critical to the future of
this nation. It is important for Congress to provide leadership so that
these recommendations are implemented quickly and not watered-down.
While the Secretary does have broad management authority to run the
Department of Defense, space is too important to be managed in-the-
margin or through loopholes in statute. Just as Congress established
the Army Air Corps in 1926 and the Air Force in 1947, it is right that
Congress legislate these space management reforms.
  Space dominance is too important to the success of future warfare to
allow any bureaucracy, military department, or parochial concern to
stand in the way. To protect America's interests we need to move
forward consistent with the spirit of the Space Commission. This
legislation is a good first step.
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