COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.—Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin last week approved the kick-off of two quick-start space-related programs by the Air Force without having to wait for congressional authorization and funding, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said on Wednesday.
Kendall said more details about the two efforts will be released in the next few days and later told reporters that one program “is basically a space capability directly and the other is one that basically allows the Air Force to utilize space capabilities more effectively.”
Congress in the fiscal year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act provided the authorities that Kendall requested last year to kick-off development efforts for new start programs to avoid a year or two delay that typically comes with the typical request to Congress and the follow-up congressional budget cycle.
These space-related capabilities are “urgently needed,” he told attendees during a morning keynote.
Last year during the Space Symposium, Kendall said the Biden administration asked Congress for the new start authorities given the urgency around potential threats from China (Defense Daily
, April 19, 2023). These authorities give DoD the means to move out with the early stages of a program and begin to reduce risks before a budget is authorized and enacted.