Senator Cramer Questions Space Defense Leadership at SASC Strategic Forces Hearing

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WASHINGTON – The Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces held a hearing today to hear testimony on the Department of Defense’s space-related activities in review of the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2025 and the Future Years Defense Program. During the hearing, U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), who was instrumental in the creation of the Space Force, questioned the witnesses on how to ensure entities like the Space Development Agency (SDA) do not become mired in bureaucracy and are given the leeway to accelerate.

Senator Cramer first questioned Frank Calvelli, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration, about how it is encouraging industry disruptors to engage on more programs.

“When I think of the Space Development Agency, I always think of SDA as the disrupter within the service itself, and I'm sure that creates a lot of tensions,” said Cramer. “So, with the spiral development concept you all use, and that SDA uses, help me understand the role of SDA as the acquisition [component] and then their role in providing maintenance and management.

“I ask that question, honestly, with some concern, that SDA could end up getting a little bit handcuffed and not be the disrupter we need them to be within the larger Space Force if that makes sense,” Cramer continued.

Calvelli explained the SDA has done a “magnificent job” in terms of getting capabilities to orbit. He said it is currently demonstrating the abilities of SDA’s Tranche 0, which has 27 satellites on orbit, eight missile warning tracking satellites, and 19 transport satellites.

“SDA is part of the Space Force, they're part of the family, they fit in, even though they're a little bit disruptive, they fit in pretty nicely actually,”  said Calvelli. “I think they are showing the way to the other parts of the organization that by building smaller and by using fixed price, you actually can go faster. […] So, you know, under my watch, I expect to continue to see SDA keep doing their great work and I think the biggest thing we'll see down the road is we need to make sure as we launch Tranche 1, which is operational systems next year, that people use it. It doesn't matter how fast we build them if no one uses them, and we need to get the services to ramp on and adopt it.”

Senator Cramer requested elaboration from Vice Chief of Space Operations General Michael Guetlein on whether SDA continues to operate in the space after the assets are launched.

“We have integrated the Space Development Agency fully into the United States Space Force,” said General Guetlein.“They are a part of the team. Their capabilities are being detailed, planned into our war games, our exercises, going forward and into our war plans. So, we are already counting on that capability and starting to test it.”