Space Command and Control: Opportunities Exist to Enhance Annual Reporting

Abstract

The Department of the Air Force has worked for decades to develop improved space command and control systems. A number of prior efforts experienced significant delays and cost increases. The current Space C2 program began in 2018. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2020 included a provision for the Department of the Air Force to submit annual status reports on the Space C2 program and for GAO to review them. This report assesses the extent to which (1) the Department of the Air Force's 2020 and 2021 Space C2 annual reports include and address the key elements that Congress outlined; and (2) the annual reports provide effective information for program oversight. GAO analyzed NDAA requirements and the 2020 and 2021 annual reports, reviewed agency policies and guidance as well as leading practices related to software development, and interviewed officials from the Departments of Defense and the Air Force, and the U.S. Space Force. GAO also met with congressional staff regarding information for oversight.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 2021
Accession Number
AD1165895

Entities

People

  • Jon Ludwigson

Organizations

  • United States Government Accountability Office

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • C4I
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Acquisition
  • Agile Software Development
  • Air Force
  • Command And Control
  • Command And Control Systems
  • Congress
  • Control Systems
  • Department Of Defense
  • Governments
  • Lessons Learned
  • National Governments
  • National Security
  • Software Development
  • Space Command And Control
  • Space Force
  • Space Objects
  • Space Situational Awareness
  • Space Systems
  • Test And Evaluation
  • Unified Combatant Commands
  • United States Government
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Aerospace logistics and air mobility.
  • Defense Acquisition Program Management

Technology Areas

  • Fully Networked C3
  • Fully Networked C3 - Command and Control
  • Space