The Air Force's X-37B unmanned spaceplane (Photo courtesy of Air Force)
The House Armed Services Committee (HASC) has rejected an attempt to derail its proposal to create a space corps in the Air Force Department.During a late-night debate June 28 on its fiscal year 2018 defense authorization bill, the committee defeated, by voice vote, an amendment by Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) that would have replaced the space corps provision with language calling for a study on whether the new service is needed. The HASC proceeded to approve the overall bill by a 60-1…
R&M Government Services,* Las Cruces, New Mexico, has been awarded a maximum $23,894,784 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-quantity contract for battery compartments. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 3204 (a)(1), as stated in the Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. This…
L3Harris Technologies Inc., Clifton, New Jersey, is being awarded $9,571,947 for a firm-fixed-price contract for the procurement of 74 radio frequency amplifiers in support of Navy F/A-18E/F/G aircraft. The contract does not include an option provision. All work will be…
Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., a Lockheed Martin Co., Stratford, Connecticut, is awarded a not-to-exceed $21,600,000 cost reimbursable undefinitized order (N0001926F1016) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N0001923G0002). This order provides for instantaneous access to 105% Transient Engine Torque test and…
Amentum Mitie Pacific LLC, Chantilly, Virginia, is awarded an $85,236,794 fixed-price-award-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for base operating support services at Navy Support Facility, Diego Garcia. Work will be performed at Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory, and is expected to be…
The House Armed Services Committee (HASC) has rejected an attempt to derail its proposal to create a space corps in the Air Force Department.
During a late-night debate June 28 on its fiscal year 2018 defense authorization bill, the committee defeated, by voice vote, an amendment by Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) that would have replaced the space corps provision with language calling for a study on whether the new service is needed. The HASC proceeded to approve the overall bill by a 60-1 vote.
The Air Force’s X-37B spaceplane lands at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 7, 2017. (Photo courtesy of Air Force)
Turner had argued that most HASC members have not examined the space corps proposal in depth and need more information before creating a space corps.
“As a committee, there’s a whole lot of work that we need to do before we go to the extent of establishing another service branch, and at least one of those steps should be a study,” Turner said.
But Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), chairman of the HASC’s strategic forces subcommittee, countered that his panel has been working on the space corps proposal “vigorously” for almost a year and has been informed by many briefings from experts and by studies conducted by the Government Accountability Office and others.
“We have a real sense of urgency in our committee,” Rogers said. “To delay this, in my view, would be irresponsible.”
Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.), the subcommittee’s ranking member, agreed with Rogers, saying, “We could wake up one morning, we could be at supper one night, and be blinded and deafened by adversary powers. So much of our most precious assets are up in space. We have got to do more to protect them and to develop other capabilities.”
Space corps proponents say the new service is needed to streamline the Air Force’s excessive bureaucracy and make space a higher priority. The Air Force is opposed, insisting that a major organizational overhaul would slow its ability to counter growing threats in space.
R&M Government Services,* Las Cruces, New Mexico, has been awarded a maximum $23,894,784 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-quantity contract for battery compartments. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 3204 (a)(1), as stated in the Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. This…
L3Harris Technologies Inc., Clifton, New Jersey, is being awarded $9,571,947 for a firm-fixed-price contract for the procurement of 74 radio frequency amplifiers in support of Navy F/A-18E/F/G aircraft. The contract does not include an option provision. All work will be…
Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., a Lockheed Martin Co., Stratford, Connecticut, is awarded a not-to-exceed $21,600,000 cost reimbursable undefinitized order (N0001926F1016) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N0001923G0002). This order provides for instantaneous access to 105% Transient Engine Torque test and…
Amentum Mitie Pacific LLC, Chantilly, Virginia, is awarded an $85,236,794 fixed-price-award-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for base operating support services at Navy Support Facility, Diego Garcia. Work will be performed at Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory, and is expected to be…