Sometimes, getting the money is the easy part--then you have to spend it wisely..given the Pentagon's historical track record as regards unlimited funding and inadequate oversight--happy days are here again..for the contractors and scam artists.
We used to have people who could handle this sort of issue...but now--not so much:
President Donald Trump wants to double the Space Force’s budget in just one year — a stunning move to build out the military’s orbital arsenal.
But the president’s dream faces a decidedly earth-bound reality: The agency doesn’t yet have the personnel to spend that kind of money effectively. And even if they did, the nation’s existing supply chain would be hard-pressed to meet demand.
The six-year-old military service is stretched thin after it lost hundreds of employees who worked in acquisitions during last year’s federal workforce purge. And top agency officials say it’s going to be a challenge to spend the $71 billion the White House has targeted for the coming year, which is nearly 80 percent more than the current year.
“We are asking to double the Space Force’s budget in FY-27 going forward. We owe it to the taxpayers and our future generations to effectively execute every dollar of that increase, and it will be a big challenge,” Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said this week during the annual Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
The push to build out military space systems is a watershed moment for the agency, as the U.S. races to stay ahead of China in the battle for satellite supremacy.
But key components of those weapons — from microelectronics to valves — are hard to come by. And the agency doesn’t have enough experienced officers to ensure the right companies are getting contracts to build those weapons.
We used to have people who could handle this sort of issue...but now--not so much:
President Donald Trump wants to double the Space Force’s budget in just one year — a stunning move to build out the military’s orbital arsenal.
But the president’s dream faces a decidedly earth-bound reality: The agency doesn’t yet have the personnel to spend that kind of money effectively. And even if they did, the nation’s existing supply chain would be hard-pressed to meet demand.
The six-year-old military service is stretched thin after it lost hundreds of employees who worked in acquisitions during last year’s federal workforce purge. And top agency officials say it’s going to be a challenge to spend the $71 billion the White House has targeted for the coming year, which is nearly 80 percent more than the current year.
“We are asking to double the Space Force’s budget in FY-27 going forward. We owe it to the taxpayers and our future generations to effectively execute every dollar of that increase, and it will be a big challenge,” Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said this week during the annual Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
The push to build out military space systems is a watershed moment for the agency, as the U.S. races to stay ahead of China in the battle for satellite supremacy.
But key components of those weapons — from microelectronics to valves — are hard to come by. And the agency doesn’t have enough experienced officers to ensure the right companies are getting contracts to build those weapons.
