Michael Griffin, former NASA administrator, has come out as the most likely candidate for the role of defense undersecretary for research and engineering, sources told Defense News.

Griffin led the space agency between 2005 and 2009, Defense News reported Monday.

The USDR&E role is part of a reorganization plan the Defense Department announced in August and plans to implement in February 2018.

Under the restructuring effort, DoD plans to split the undersecretary for acquisition, technology and logistics role into two positions in which one will be responsible for acquisition and sustainment functions – USDA&S – while the other undersecretary will oversee R&E efforts.

Ellen Lord, formerly Textron Systems president and CEO, was confirmed in August as DoD’s acquisition chief and will transition to the USDA&S role once the restructuring plan takes effect on Feb. 1.

Defense Secretary James Mattis has called on Defense Department leaders to prepare military options that the U.S. government can use in response to North Korea if diplomatic measures fail, Politico reported Monday.

Mattis told the audience at the Association of the U.S. Army conference that current actions against North Korea’s missile and nuclear weapons activities are currently led by diplomacy and economic sanctions.

“Now, what does the future hold? Neither you nor I can say, so there’s one thing the U.S. Army can do, and that is we have got to be ready to ensure that we have military options that our president can employ if needed,” Mattis added.

The defense secretary also urged Congress to eliminate budget caps on defense to help maintain the U.S. military’s readiness, Washington Examiner reported.

Mattis said at the AUSA conference that the Army and other services should support the move to repeal the $549 billion spending cap for fiscal year 2018 by voicing the need for additional funds to stay ahead of adversaries.

Space could be a battleground. This idea is more or less a commentary on the current state of emerging affairs in aerospace; if we are to maintain our presence in space, we need some conscientious brand of ‘space situational awareness’ that all the players around the table can agree on.

“Space is not a sanctuary…it is a war fighting domain,” U.S. Air Force Brigadier General Mark Baird said in a panel at the Defense One Tech Summit in July.

In today’s high-tech warfare environment we take technology for granted, as Gen. Baird believes, and that the ability of the military (see: ‘Space Corps’) and Congress to obtain resources is lacking.

“In terms of terrified, we have to prepare to protect the nation. It is a big task that we’re rushing to make sure we’re ready,” said Baird. “The last 20 years we just launched our missions–the world is changing, but we should change the tense: the world has changed.”

Our nation’s increased use and dependency on satellite and anti-satellite technology for commercial and military use has necessitated the development of effective policies and doctrines for the control of space, prompting questions about probing planets and proliferating the space superiority enterprise.

“It is a good sign because people are now focusing on this problem that we have–we are recognizing across all sectors of the government that we need to be ready, poised and postured so we can protect the nation,” he said.

As the Director of Space Programs for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Acquisition in Washington D.C., Baird is responsible for a multi-billion dollar budget–a multifarity of defense directives in the planning, development, testing, deployment and continuation of space capabilities–working to stay ahead of the curve across a wide spectrum from the Pentagon to the people.

“Without question, the United States has become increasingly reliant on space. Both economically and militarily, our dependence on space assets is undeniable. Orbiting satellites provide a myriad of services that we have become dependent on, such as precise position, navigation, and timing (PNT); communications; weather data; missile warning; and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR).”

But don’t get too excited, he says with a grin, as men and women that might not be riding rockets into battle anytime soon. Yet.

Commissioned through the Reserve Officer Training Corps program in 1989, Baird was appointed to Brigadier General in 2014, receiving the Defense Superior Service Medal and the Legion of Merit award for “exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services to the United States and the War on Terror.“ During his career, he has served in a variety of positions, including contingency contracting officer, program manager and squadron commander.

Brigadier General Baird will be addressing the Potomac Officer’s Club as a keynote speaker at the 2017 Space: Innovations, Programs, and Policies Summit to be held Oct. 18, 2017 at the Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner in McLean, VA.

Click here to register

###

Keep Reading

The U.S. Army has released a draft document that describes how U.S. forces and allies will fight adversaries across air, ground, maritime, cyber and space domains in the period of 2025 through 2040, Defense One reported Monday.

The draft strategy describes Multi-Domain Battle as an operational concept that seeks to address challenges posed by peer adversaries through adoption of three components.

These include the use of “resilient formations” that can project power and work “semi-independently” at tactical and operational levels; convergence of capabilities across several domains to provide the Joint Force an advantage to maneuver; and force posture calibration to counter “hybrid war.”

The draft strategy also discusses the components of the Multi-Domain Battle operational framework in response to adversaries’ expansion of the battlespace and use of technologies and military systems to converge capabilities.

These components include deep fire areas, deep maneuver areas and close area as well as strategic, operational and tactical support areas.

The document also tackles how adversaries take measures to meet objectives below the level of armed conflict and how enemies employ reconnaissance assets, unconventional warfare, information warfare and conventional forces to disrupt alliances and destabilize target states.