Following the Space Force’s release this spring of its high-level strategy for better harnessing commercial technology, a panel of defense experts is offering a more detailed roadmap for how the Defense Department can better embed off-the-shelf systems and widgets throughout its processes and acquisition plans.
A new report from the Pentagon’s Defense Science Board calls on the Space Force to integrate commercial space technology wherever possible — from planning and wargaming exercises to budgets and procurement strategies.
“Commercial firms are driven by the exigencies of the market to deliver new products quickly and cost-effectively, incentivizing innovation and high productivity,” the panel said. “The department has much to gain by leveraging those world-leading efficiencies.”
The commercial space sector has seen significant growth over the last decade. A 2023 report from consulting firm McKinsey & Company valued the market at $447 billion and projected it would surpass $1 trillion in the 2030s. These companies launch rockets, build satellites and provide key services like Earth observation and ground control.
The Pentagon, and the Space Force in particular, have been making strides to take advantage of that investment. The service has adopted a “buy before you build” approach to space acquisition, meaning that it surveys capabilities already available in industry before pursuing a military-unique system.
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Both the Space Force and the Office of the Secretary of Defense released commercial integration strategies in April. The Pentagon’s plan called for greater protection for private sector spacecraft targeted by adversaries, while the Space Force identified missions like satellite communications and space domain awareness that are primed for commercial partnerships.
The Defense Science Board review, commissioned in 2022, focuses on the processes that support commercial integration as well as the challenges — including the risks of relying more heavily on non-DOD space systems.
The panel found that while the department appears to recognize the utility of commercial capabilities, its own bureaucracy and culture often gets in the way of adopting them.
“Policy interpretation, security, acquisition practices, funding models, operational employment and military exercises limit the potential reach and application of commercial space,” the report states.
To remedy this, the board recommends the department develop what it calls an end-to-end framework to ensure that private sector systems and services are considered an option whenever the Space Force pursues new capabilities.
Practically, that means integrating commercial offerings when defining requirements, empowering program managers to fund technology maturation for dual-use systems and incorporating commercial space capabilities in every tabletop exercise.
The report also proposes putting specific resources toward integrating commercial and DOD operations and sustainment, recommending the Space Force establish a working capital fund to support both. Further, it suggests the service launch a pilot effort to test this concept for wideband military satellite communications, similar to the approach it takes for commercial SATCOM today.
The board also sought to address perceptions within the department about the risk DOD may take on by adopting a more commercial-first posture. The report highlights valid concerns that private sector capabilities are less hardened against cyberattacks or other threats and could make the military more vulnerable.
The study recommends several mitigations. First, the department could make resiliency a requirement in commercial contracts and provide companies with resources to harden their satellites and ground systems.
DOD should also improve the way it shares threat information with industry and find ways to get security clearances for commercial firms, the report says. It points to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Bridges program, which helps companies in specific technical sectors get cleared for secure briefings.
In another recommendation, the board suggests the Space Force conduct vulnerability assessments of existing commercial providers and use what it learns from that work to inform future requirements and contracts.
“Commercial space systems and architectures are, by their nature, intended for global access and use. While this openness is a necessary component of a world marketplace, it presents distinct risks and challenges, real and perceived,” the report states. “Nonetheless, opportunities exist to increase resilience of commercial systems through protection technologies consistent with commercial markets and missions.”
Courtney Albon is C4ISRNET’s space and emerging technology reporter. She has covered the U.S. military since 2012, with a focus on the Air Force and Space Force. She has reported on some of the Defense Department’s most significant acquisition, budget and policy challenges.
