Nominee for Defense Policy Advocates Combination of NRO and Space Command Systems
The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) and the Space Systems Command (SSC) of the Space Force are being considered for a potential merger, a move that could significantly boost national security space acquisition.
### Potential Benefits
The merger could create a more agile and collaborative entity, enhancing collaboration between the Space Force and the intelligence community on space technology acquisition and mission integration. By leveraging the NRO's special acquisition rules and extensive experience, the Space Force could benefit from faster, more flexible, and cost-effective procurement practices for space capabilities.
Combining these organizations might also result in more cohesive and integrated space mission architectures, reducing duplication and streamlining system development and deployment. Cross-pollination of best practices related to acquisition between the established NRO and the evolving SSC could potentially accelerate innovation and efficiency.
### Potential Drawbacks
However, the merger also presents challenges. Merging two large, technically complex agencies with distinct cultures—NRO with its intelligence focus and SSC with military acquisition—may cause internal friction and slow down processes in the short term. Overcentralization might reduce competition and diversity of approaches in space acquisition, potentially hindering innovation.
The merger process could introduce transitional costs and operational disruptions that temporarily affect the pace and quality of space systems acquisition. Aligning the NRO's primary mission of reconnaissance/intelligence with SSC's acquisition priorities for warfighting capabilities will require careful governance.
### Context
The proposal is being actively discussed by defense policy experts, including Mark Berkowitz, former nominee for assistant secretary of defense for space policy, who argues it would "turbocharge" national security space acquisition through improved coordination and leveraging NRO authorities.
The Space Force is increasingly focusing on rapid acquisition and integration of advanced space capabilities, as seen in programs like the new MILNET constellation with SpaceX and the focus on faster operationalization of prototypes. This need for agility in space systems acquisition is reflected in the proposal for a merger.
Former NRO Director Jeffrey Harris, a member of NSSA's advisory board, has welcomed the proposal to merge NRO and Space Systems Command. Co-location would enable closer collaboration and integration of acquisition activities and promote efforts to create synergies, both within the Department of Defense and between DoD and the NRO space programs.
In summary, merging the NRO and SSC could streamline space acquisition, leverage unique procurement authorities, and improve mission integration, thus enhancing U.S. national security space capabilities. However, it also requires careful management of organizational integration risks, potential cultural clashes, and mission alignment to realize these benefits effectively.
- The potential merger between the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) and the Space Systems Command (SSC) of the Space Force could create a more integrative military-science entity in space-and-astronomy technology, bolstering national defense and security.
- With the NRO's special acquisition rules and extensive experience, this collaborative move could result in faster, more cost-effective, and agile procurement of space capabilities, benefiting the Space Force and the air force.
- Following the merger, the resulting organization might witness fewer duplications in space missions, leading to more efficient system development and deployment across the military and the intelligence community.
- Despite the advantages, amalgamating the two technically complex agencies with distinct cultures might initially cause friction and slow down processes, potentially threatening the innovation and efficiency they seek to enhance.
- Aligning the primary mission of reconnaissance/intelligence for the NRO with the acquisition priorities for warfighting capabilities for the SSC requires strategic governance for the merger to optimize national defense systems and space technology.
