Department of Defense

Commerce and Defense Departments sign agreement on space traffic management cooperation
The Departments of Commerce and Defense have signed an agreement to cooperate on transferring responsibility for civil and commercial space traffic management.

On National Security | DoD’s buying habits a continuing source of frustration
Over the course of just six months, three senior defense officials responsible for technology programs announced they were stepping down, voicing disappointment in a culture they view as an impediment to innovation.

Melting Arctic ice opens new front in strategic power competition
Warming seas and thinning polar ice caps promise to turn the Arctic into a hub of greater economic activity — and a new hotspot for military competition.

How sherpas guide startups through government contracting terrain
U.S. defense and intelligence agencies are eager to tap into commercial innovation, and many startup founders are eager to win government funding. The problem is the two groups often have trouble communicating.

Op-ed | SOS Space: Why cybersecurity and supply chain risk management must go hand in hand
Cybersecurity and supply chain integrity must become integral and elevated concerns for the space community, as well as space consumers and strategic stakeholders.

DoD eager to leverage LEO broadband constellations
The military is hungry for low-latency broadband services from the likes of OneWeb, SpaceX, Telesat and Amazon that promise to connect the world via thousands of satellites in low Earth orbit.

On National Security | In the new space era, a changing role for the U.S. government
The pace of technological innovation in the space business has long been dictated by government-funded programs of record. But as the private sector increasingly drives innovation, government buyers are trying to figure out their role in the new space era.

U.S. military doubles down on GPS despite vulnerabilities
Space weapons meant to target U.S. satellites are a growing concern for the U.S. military. Especially worrisome are electronic jamming devices designed to interfere with GPS signals.

On National Security | Moving data through space a linchpin of DoD’s strategy for winning wars
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin signed off last month on a strategy document that tells the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Space Force to figure out how to share data on the battlefield. Space-based communications will be at the core of this strategy known as Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2).

A race against time to replace aging military weather satellites
The U.S. Defense Department may finally be on track to replace its aging polar-orbiting weather satellites more than a decade after pulling the plug on an ill-fated effort to cram civil and military requirements into a single system.