HOUSE ARMED SERVICES SUBCOMMITTEE ON STRATEGIC FORCES
TERRY EVERETT, ALABAMA
CHAIRMAN
PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release:                              Contact: Josh Holly (HASC), 202-225-2539
March 16, 2006                                           Mike Lewis (Everett), 202-225-2901

Opening Statement of Terry Everett

Hearing on the Fiscal Year 2007 Budget Request for Space Activities

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Strategic Forces Subcommittee meets today to receive

testimony on the Department of Defense's Fiscal Year 2007 budget request for space activities. Thank you all for coming. Our guests today are: Dr. Ronald Sega, Under Secretary of the Air Force; Dr. Donald Kerr, Director of the National Reconnaissance Office and Lt. General Frank Klotz, Acting Commander of the Air Force Space Command.

Gentlemen, this subcommittee holds a great deal of interest in maintaining the space

capabilities essential for military operations. The warfighter's reliance on space operations willcontinue to grow and the management of our space programs must enable further technologydevelopment within the limits of a tightening budget. Along those lines are three critical areas we'd like you to address before the subcommittee today.

• First, we would greatly appreciate an update on the status of the space cadre. In my mind, nothing can be more important for the success of our space programs than the development of a competent and capable force of space professionals. Numerous studies have identified a deficit in our space professionals, or the space cadre. It is critical that we aggressively address this shortfall in order to develop a corps of professionals that are competent in both technology and acquisition practices, and capable of leading our space programs into the future.
• Second, the subcommittee would like to see what measures are being taken to ensure that our future investments in space will not continue down the old familiar track of cost overruns and program delays. Programs such as MILSTAR, SBIRS-High, Advanced EHF, Future Imagery Architecture, and EELV reflect significant problems in the way we've been doing business. I ask that you discuss the steps you are taking to address the problems that continue to plague our space programs.
• Finally, I ask that you address the Operational Integration of Space. Finding new and better ways to leverage our space assets is critical in today's battle environment.

Initiatives such as Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) give us hope that we can find innovative ways to acquire and deploy new space systems at much lower costs. Programs like TACSAT bring hope that we can change the way we think about space systems and gain the ability to rapidly respond to the warfighter's need for space support. Along the way, we may also gain some long-term benefits by broadening the industrial base and testing new technologies.

Today the topic at hand is the fiscal year 2007 budget request for space activities. Along with my subcommittee colleagues, I look forward to an informative hearing.

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