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FEDERALhearing transcript

High Impact

Hearing on National Security Space Organization

Original title: [H.A.S.C. No. 114-141] National Security Space: 21st Century Challenges, 20th Century Organization

January 1, 2017

national security space policy military organization defense reform Department of Defense

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The Frame

What this does

The hearing addresses potential future restructuring of how the Department of Defense manages space-based national security assets, which currently involves oversight fragmented across approximately 60 different stakeholders.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Department of Defense

The department is the subject of the review regarding its organizational structure and management of space assets.

U.S. Military Services

The four military services are required to coordinate efforts for space-based warfighting capabilities.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 1, 2017.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

The House Subcommittee on Strategic Forces held a hearing to discuss whether the current organizational structure of U.S. national security space activities is adequate for 21st-century challenges. Experts and committee members reviewed historical precedents for defense reform and examined the fragmented nature of space acquisition and oversight.

Key Facts

The hearing took place on September 27, 2016, in the Rayburn House Office Building.
A GAO chart presented at the hearing identified that DOD space acquisitions, management, and oversight are fragmented across approximately 60 stakeholders.
The subcommittee is evaluating whether the current organizational structure is sufficient for modern warfighting capabilities.
Chairman Mike Rogers compared the current need for space organizational reform to the 1982 testimony of General David Jones, which preceded the Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986.
The hearing included testimony from former high-ranking defense officials regarding the challenges of space defense and protection.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the committee reviewing space organization?

The committee is concerned that the current organizational structure is fragmented and may not be adequate to handle 21st-century national security challenges in space.

How many stakeholders are involved in DOD space oversight?

According to a GAO chart submitted for the record, oversight is fragmented across approximately 60 different stakeholders.

Why It Matters

News Coverage

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Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Historical Precedent for Reform

The committee explicitly framed the need for space organizational reform by drawing a direct parallel to the 1982 hearings that led to the Goldwater-Nichols Act.

Mike Rogers Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986

Connected Entities

organizationDepartment of Defense“The primary federal department under review for organizational reform”Map →

personMike Rogers“Chairman of the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces”Map →

personMartin C. Faga“Former director of the National Reconnaissance Office”Map →

personJohn J. Hamre“Former Deputy Secretary of Defense and hearing witness”Map →

personJames O. Ellis, Jr.“Retired Admiral and former commander of U.S. Strategic Command”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.govinfo.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance75
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy20
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment10
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz15
Current news / social attention level

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