At the AFA symposium, General Lance Lord took time to dump cold water on rumors that DOD might strip the Air Force of its current control and management of the Global Positioning System space constellation. “I don’t think that is a good idea,” Lord said, adding that, when the idea was first being pitched around in the Pentagon, there was a great deal of “misinformation” being spread about Air Force management of space programs. The space acquisition corps has pushed the envelope a little by taking some risks in constellation satellite sustainment, which makes Lord hopeful of fielding a GPS III satellite sooner than expected.
A record investment in research and development by the Department of the Air Force will help the United States win the long-term technology race with China, even while shrinking the fleet size before a possible mid-decade Taiwan contingency, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said May 17. “With the Air Force,…