An Atlantic Council report explores how the government can expand its relationship with the commercial small satellite industry to maintain operational security and superiority in the space domain.
The study, titled “Small Satellites: The Implications for National Security,” identifies possible measures for the Department of Defense, intelligence community and Congress to take advantage of technological advances in the space sector.
Nicholas Eftimiades, an Atlantic Council nonresident senior fellow who authored the report, wrote that the U.S. should update its current approaches to defense acquisition, research, investment, regulation and data classification to compete in the future space ecosystem.
His recommendations for the White House and Congress include enforcing “buy commercial first” policies at DOD and IC agencies and funding research to identify industry-supported national security missions.
The report was based on 25 interviews with former and current leaders from the worlds of government, business and academia who have worked on commercial space or national security programs.
If you’re interested in space innovation, join the Potomac Officers Club’s 2nd Annual Industrial Space Defense Summit on May 17 to hear from government and industry representatives as they share insight into the role of public-private collaborations in building the country’s space defense capabilities.
Register here and don’t forget to check out upcoming events for the GovCon community via the Potomac Officers Club website.
