Senior officials in a background briefing Friday repeated the Pentagon’s intent to ensure the new KC-X competition will be crystal clear and emphasized that it would include, for the first time, an independent technical requirements review team. Its function will be to connect the decision through the evaluation to the requirements. Air Force Secretary Michael Donley said on Thursday that the new team would assess “how we evaluated the proposals.” Of the more than 150 to 200 government personnel involved, a senior official confirmed Friday that one or two OSD people may have participated last time out, and he emphasized the “much more comprehensive” work by the requirements review team “is very different than what was done last time around.” He noted that it would essentially be the same for every new major source selection, saying, “This is the way we do business now.” (DOD transcript)
Space is getting more crowded, and ensuring U.S freedom of action in this vital domain is one of the missions of the U.S. Space Force. Technology that might help—including a digital “license plate” for satellites—was showcased in the latest competition hosted by the Space Force Accelerator Program.