 |
Rumsfeld Moves to Strengthen US Air Force Space Efforts
US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld Tuesday announced a major revamping of how the Defense Department manages its space programs to sustain the United States' position as the world's leading space-faring nation.
Rumsfeld disclosed plans for a series of bureaucratic changes aimed at sharpening the Pentagon's focus on space, including creation of a four-star-general slot with broad responsibilities for space programs.
He outlined the changes in a letter to Congress and spelled out his vision for strengthening the US defense role in space at a press conference.
The Pentagon's space programs encompass a wide variety of activities, from satellites to detect and track ballistic missiles to military communications and intelligence-gathering efforts.
Rumsfeld said he would assign broader responsibilities to the Air Force Space Command, based at Colorado Springs, Colorado, and put a four-star general in charge of providing the resources to execute space programs and operations.
However, Rumsfeld's letter did not say who would fill the new post.
"We can arrange the Department of Defense to focus on meeting the national security needs of the 21st century and sustain the United States' position as the world's leading space-faring nation," Rumsfeld wrote.
In the existing military structure, the Air Force general who is commander in chief of U.S. Space Command, currently General Ralph Eberhart, also holds the positions of commander in chief of North American Aerospace Defense Command and the U.S. Air Force Space Command.
Under Rumsfeld's plan, the Air Force Space Command job would be split off and made a separate four-star position. The Space Command apparently also would be given broader responsibilities, possibly including additional authority in the areas of acquisition, research and development.
In This Section
|