Defense Space Activities: Additional Actions Needed to Implement Human Capital Strategy and Develop Space Personnel
Published: 2004-08-11T00:00:00

Fast Facts:

Highlights:
section_title: Why GAO Did This Study
paragraphs: The Department of Defense (DOD) relies on space for many critical capabilities, and its continued success in space operations depends on having sufficient space-qualified personnel. Space-qualified personnel are needed to develop technology, doctrine, and concepts and operate complex systems. In the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004, Congress required DOD to develop a strategy for developing and integrating national security space personnel. DOD completed it in February 2004. Congress also required GAO to assess DOD's space human capital strategy and the military services' efforts to develop their space personnel. In the first of two required reports, GAO assessed (1) whether DOD's space human capital strategy and management approach promote development and integration of the services' space personnel and (2) the extent of the services' initiatives to develop and manage their space personnel.
section_title: What GAO Found
paragraphs: DOD's space human capital strategy is a significant first step that promotes the development and integration of DOD's space personnel by providing strategic goals and objectives; however, DOD does not have a complete results-oriented management approach to implement the strategy because it does not include an implementation plan that details specific actions, time frames, and evaluation measures. The space human capital strategy provides general direction for developing and integrating DOD space personnel, and it identified key actions needed for implementation. DOD has not completed any of these actions. Without an implementation plan, DOD will not be in a sound position to effectively monitor and evaluate implementation of the strategy and achieve the strategy's purpose of integrating the services' space personnel into a cohesive DOD total force. The military services vary in the extent to which they have identified and implemented initiatives to develop and manage their space personnel. The Air Force and the Marine Corps have taken significant actions in developing and managing their space personnel, including developing space human capital strategies and designating organizational focal points. The Air Force, which has the largest number of space personnel, approved its space human capital strategy in July 2003, and it is implementing its initiatives. The other services are working on similar initiatives and have completed some, but many will take years to fully implement. The Army's and the Navy's actions in developing their space personnel have been limited because they do not have clear goals and objectives for developing their space personnel or organizational focal points to manage them. Without these tools, the Army and the Navy may not be able to determine their requirements for space personnel and develop sufficient numbers of space personnel with the necessary training, education, and experience to meet service and joint needs.

section_title: Letter
paragraphs: The United States increasingly relies on space for many critical military  and civilian purposes, such as communications and imagery. The  Department of Defense (DOD) employs space assets to support a wide  range of military missions, such as intelligence collection, battlefield  surveillance and management, global command and control, and  navigation assistance. Recent military operations have demonstrated  that space capabilities are critical to the success of defense missions,  such as precision engagement, search and rescue, and close air support.  Space-qualified personnel, both military and civilian, are needed to  develop technology, doctrine, and operational concepts for employing  space assets in the future and to operate complex space systems. In 2001,  a space commission concluded that DOD did not have a strong military  space culture, which included focused career development and education  and training. DOD is responsible for leading efforts to synchronize the  military services’ space personnel activities and integrating the services’  space personnel into a cohesive total force to the maximum extent  practicable. The services are responsible for developing and maintaining  space-qualified personnel in sufficient numbers to support their interests  in space requirements, acquisition, and operations and participate in joint  activities.
During the 1990s, Congress was concerned about DOD’s management and  organization of space activities and chartered a commission to review  national security space activities. In January 2001, the commission report  identified some long-standing management challenges including  developing and maintaining a group of professional personnel, known  as the space cadre, for leadership roles in all aspects of space-related  activities. In its report, the commission made recommendations to  improve DOD’s management and organization of space operations.  In April 2003, we reported on the implementation of the commission’s  recommendations, as required by Congress. We recommended that DOD,  in conjunction with the services, establish a departmentwide space human  capital strategy with goals, measurable objectives, and timelines to  develop and maintain a cadre of military and civilian space professionals.  DOD concurred with our recommendation.
Additionally, Congress, in the National Defense Authorization Act for  Fiscal Year 2004, required the Secretary of Defense to develop a strategy  for DOD to (1) promote the development of space personnel career fields  within each of the military departments and (2) ensure that the space  personnel career fields developed by the military departments are  integrated with each other to the maximum extent practicable. The act  also required the Secretary of Defense to provide a comprehensive  assessment of the adequacy of the actions of the Secretary of the Air Force  to establish a space career field for Air Force officers. DOD provided the  strategy and assessment to Congress in February 2004. The strategy set  out goals, objectives, and approaches to develop and integrate DOD’s  space cadre. The assessment listed actions the Air Force had taken and  plans to take to improve management of its space cadre and training for its  space personnel.
The act also required us to review DOD’s space human capital strategy and  the status of efforts by the military departments to develop their space  personnel career fields. The act required us to assess (1) DOD’s strategy  and the efforts of the military departments for developing the personnel  required and (2) the effectiveness of DOD’s strategy and the efforts by the  military departments in developing the personnel required and the  progress made in integrating the space career fields of the military  departments. This report responds to the first of these two requirements.  As agreed with your committees, our objectives for this report were to  (1) determine whether DOD’s space human capital strategy and  management approach to implementing the strategy promote the  development and integration of the military services’ space cadres and  (2) assess the extent of each of the military services’ initiatives to develop  and manage their space cadres. To determine if DOD’s strategy and  approach to implementing it promote the development and integration of  the military services’ space cadres, we reviewed and analyzed the strategy,  compared the strategy to the elements of a results-oriented management  framework, and conducted discussions with DOD and military service  officials. To assess the extent to which the military services have taken  initiatives to develop their space cadres, we reviewed and analyzed the  initiatives of the services. We conducted our review from October 2003  through June 2004 in accordance with generally accepted government  auditing standards. (See appendix I for more detailed information on our  scope and methodology.)
subsections: section_title: Background
paragraphs: The national security space sector is primarily comprised of military and  intelligence activities. The U.S. Strategic Command, one of the combatant  commands, is responsible for establishing overall operational  requirements for space activities, and the military services are responsible  for satisfying these requirements to the maximum extent practicable. The  Air Force is DOD’s primary procurer and operator of space systems and  spends the largest share of defense space funds. The Air Force Space  Command is the major component providing space forces for the  U.S. Strategic Command. The Army controls a defense satellite  communications system and operates ground mobile terminals. The Army  Space and Missile Defense Command conducts space operations and  provides planning, integration, and control and coordination of Army  forces and capabilities in support of the U.S. Strategic Command. The  Navy operates several space systems that contribute to surveillance and  warning and is responsible for acquiring the Mobile User Operations  System, the next generation ultrahigh frequency satellite communication  system. The Marine Corps uses space to provide the warfighter with  intelligence, communications, and position navigation. The National  Reconnaissance Office designs, procures, and operates space systems  dedicated to national security activities and depends on personnel from  each of the services’ space cadres to execute its mission.
Due to continuing concerns about DOD’s management of space activities,  in October 1999 Congress chartered a commission—known as the Space  Commission—to assess the United States’ national security space  management and organization. In its January 2001 report, the Space  Commission made recommendations to DOD to improve coordination,  execution, and oversight of the department’s space activities. One issue  the Space Commission identified was the need to create and maintain a  highly trained and experienced cadre of space professionals who could  master highly complex technology, as well as develop new concepts of  operations for offensive and defensive space operations. The Space  Commission noted that the defense space program had benefited from  world-class scientists, engineers, and operators, but many experienced  personnel were retiring and the recruitment and retention of space- qualified personnel was a problem. Further, the commission concluded  that DOD did not have a strong military space culture, which included  focused career development and education and training. In October 2001,  the Secretary of Defense issued a memorandum directing the military  services to draft specific guidance and plans for developing, maintaining,  and managing a cadre of space-qualified professionals.
A DOD directive in June 2003 designated the Secretary of the Air  Force as the DOD Executive Agent for Space, with the Executive Agent  responsibilities delegated to the Under Secretary of the Air Force.  The directive stated that the Executive Agent shall develop, coordinate,  and integrate plans and programs for space systems and the acquisition  of DOD major space programs to provide operational space force  capabilities. Further, the directive required the Executive Agent to lead  efforts to synchronize the services’ space cadre activities and to integrate  the services’ space personnel into a cohesive joint force to the maximum  extent practicable. The directive also makes the military services  responsible for developing and maintaining a cadre of space-qualified  professionals in sufficient quantities to represent the services’ interests in  space requirements, acquisition, and operations.
We have identified strategic human capital management as a  governmentwide high-risk area and provided tools intended to help federal  agency leaders manage their people. Specifically, we identified a lack of a  consistent strategic approach to marshal, manage, and maintain the  human capital needed to maximize government performance and ensure  its accountability. In our exposure draft on a model of strategic human  capital management, we identified four cornerstones of human capital  planning that have undermined agency effectiveness, which are  leadership; strategic human capital planning; acquiring, developing, and  retaining talent; and results-oriented organizational cultures. We also cited  critical success factors for strategic human capital planning, including  integration and data-driven human capital decisions. Furthermore, we  reported that many federal agencies had not put in place a strategic human  capital planning process for determining critical organizational  capabilities, identifying gaps in these capabilities and resources needed,  and designing evaluation methods.
section_title: DOD Issued a Space Human Capital Strategy but Has No Implementation Plan
paragraphs: DOD’s space human capital strategy, which we believe is a significant first  step, promotes the development and integration of the military services’  space cadres; however, DOD has not developed a plan to implement  actions to achieve the strategy’s goals and objectives. A strategy and a plan  to implement the strategy are central principles of a results-oriented  management framework. DOD’s space human capital strategy establishes  direction for the future, includes goals for integrating the services’ space  cadres and developing space-qualified personnel, and identifies  approaches and objectives to meet the strategy’s goals. An implementation  plan for the strategy could include specific actions, responsibilities, time  frames, and evaluation measures. DOD has begun to implement some of  the key actions identified in the strategy.
subsections: section_title: Management Framework Would Include a Strategy and an Implementation Plan
paragraphs: A results-oriented management framework provides an approach that  DOD could use to develop and manage the services’ space cadres,  including a strategy and a plan to implement the strategy. Sound general  management tenets, embraced by the Government Performance and  Results Act of 1993, require agencies to pursue results-oriented  management, whereby program effectiveness is measured in terms of  outcomes or impact, rather than outputs, such as activities and processes.  Management principles and elements can provide DOD and the military  services with a framework for strategic planning and effectively  implementing and managing programs. Table 1 describes the framework  and its principles and elements.
section_title: DOD’s Space Human Capital Strategy Established Direction for the Future
paragraphs: In February 2004, DOD issued its space human capital strategy that  established direction for the future and included overall goals for  developing and integrating space personnel. To develop the strategy, the  DOD Executive Agent for Space established a joint working group  comprised of representatives from the Office of the Secretary of Defense,  each of the military services, the National Reconnaissance Office, and  various other defense organizations. The Office of the Secretary of  Defense and the military services reviewed the strategy, and the DOD  Executive Agent for Space approved it. The space human capital strategy’s  goals flow from the goals in DOD’s Personnel and Readiness Strategic  Plan, which is the integrated strategic plan that includes the major goals  that directly support the mission of the Office of the Under Secretary of  Defense for Personnel and Readiness. Two of these goals include:   (1) integrating active and reserve component military personnel, civilian  employees, and support contractors into a diverse, cohesive total force  and (2) providing appropriate education, training, and development of the  total force to meet mission requirements.
The six goals for space professional management identified in the space  human capital strategy are to    ensure the services develop space cadres to fulfill their unique mission    synchronize the services’ space cadre activities to increase efficiency and  reduce unnecessary redundancies;  improve the integration of space capabilities for joint war fighting and  intelligence;    assign the best space professionals to critical positions;  increase the number of skilled, educated, and experienced space  professionals; and  identify critical positions and personnel requirements for them.
The strategy also described approaches designed to accomplish DOD’s  long-term goals. The approaches provided general direction for  departmentwide actions in areas identified as key to the long-term success  of the strategy, such as establishing policy concerning human capital  development and a professional certification process for space personnel  and identifying and defining critical positions and education overlaps and  gaps. In addition, the strategy recognized external factors that should be  considered departmentwide and by the services in developing  implementation actions. Such factors include increasing reliance on space  for critical capabilities in the future, the need for more space-qualified  people, and the need to develop new systems and technologies to sustain  the United States as a world leader in space.
The space human capital strategy also identified objectives necessary to  achieve the strategy’s goals in the areas of leadership, policy, career  development, education, training, data collection, management, and best  practices. The strategy places responsibility for achieving the objectives  with each service and component. The objectives include, among others,  promoting the development of a cadre of space professionals within each  service, enhancing space education and training, creating management  processes to meet future programmatic needs, and identifying and  implementing best practices. Table 2 shows the strategy’s objectives.
section_title: DOD Has Not Developed an Implementation Plan for Its Strategy
paragraphs: DOD has not developed a detailed implementation plan for the key actions  in its space human capital strategy that could include more specific  implementing actions, identify responsibilities, set specific time frames  for completion, and establish performance measures. As previously  mentioned, a results-oriented management framework would include  a plan with detailed implementation actions and performance  measurements, in addition to incorporating performance goals, resources  needed, performance indicators, and an evaluation process.
DOD’s strategic approach, as outlined in its strategy, identifies key actions  to meet the space human capital strategy’s objectives and indicates three  time phases for implementing the actions. However, DOD has not started  to develop an implementation plan for its strategy. A DOD official said the  department plans to complete an implementation plan by November 2004,  while it is implementing the key actions that have been identified in the  strategy. Until an implementation plan is developed, the DOD Executive  Agent for Space plans to hold meetings of the working group that  developed the strategy to discuss space cadre initiatives and integration  actions.
Before developing an implementation plan, DOD plans to collect  information from the services to establish a baseline on their current  space cadres, according to a DOD official. Some of the information to be  collected includes size, skills, and competencies of the personnel in the  services’ space cadres; numbers of space positions and positions that are  vacant; promotion and retention rates for space personnel; and retirement  eligibility and personnel availability projections. The strategy indicates  that collecting this information was one of the key actions in the first  phase of the strategy’s implementation and was to have been completed by  April 2004. However, DOD has not requested the information from the  services because officials had not completely determined what  information will be collected, how it will be analyzed, and how it will be  used to develop an implementation plan.
DOD has begun implementing some actions identified in the strategy as  key to helping further develop and integrate the services’ space cadres;  however, DOD had not completed any of these actions by the end of our  review. Actions currently under way include    preparing for an education and training summit;    evaluating space cadre best practices;    developing policy on human capital development and use;    determining the scope, nature, and specialties associated with space  personnel certification; and  issuing a call for demonstration projects.
DOD plans to complete most of the key actions by November 2004,  although it has not developed specific plans and milestones for completing  each action.
section_title: Extent of Services’ Initiatives to Develop Space Cadres Varies
paragraphs: The military services vary in the extent to which they have identified and  implemented initiatives to develop and manage their space cadres. The  Air Force and the Marine Corps have completed space human capital  strategies and established organizational focal points with responsibility  for managing their space cadres, but the Army and the Navy have not  completed these important first steps. The services are executing some  other actions to develop and manage their space cadres, and the actions  have been implemented to varying extents. Some of the actions include  determining what types of personnel and specialties to include in their  space cadres and developing or revising their education and training. Even  though the services have completed some of these initiatives, many are not  complete and will require years to fully implement.
DOD has established the overall direction for space human capital  development and integration, but the services are responsible for  defining their unique space cadre goals and objectives, determining the  implementing actions required, and creating a management structure to be  responsible for implementation. The Space Commission recommended  that the Air Force centralize its space cadre management and concluded  that without a centralized management authority to provide leadership, it  would be almost impossible to create a space cadre. Even though this  recommendation was directed to the Air Force, which has the largest  numbers of space professionals and responsibility for the most varied  range of space operations, the principle that strong leadership is needed to  reach space cadre goals also applies to the other military services.
subsections: section_title: Air Force Has Taken Actions in Developing Its Space Cadre
paragraphs: The Air Force approved its space cadre strategy in July 2003, and it is  implementing the initiatives it has identified to meet the strategy’s goals.  The strategy provided guidance on developing and sustaining the Air  Force’s space cadre. Further, the Air Force developed an implementation  plan with time lines for completion of certain initiatives. The Air Force  also designated the Air Force Space Command as the focal point to  manage Air Force space cadre issues.
The Air Force’s strategy defined the Air Force’s space cadre as the  officers, enlisted personnel, reserves, National Guard, and civilians needed  to research, develop, acquire, operate, employ, and sustain space systems  in support of national security space objectives. The strategy included  actions for identifying all space professionals who would make up its  space cadre; providing focused career development; and defining career  management roles, responsibilities, and tools. Currently, the Air Force has  the largest of the services’ space cadres with an estimated 10,000 members  identified based on their education and experience. The strategy also  identified planned resources to implement space cadre initiatives through  fiscal year 2009. For fiscal year 2004, the Air Force Space Command  received $9.1 million to develop and manage its space cadre. According to  Command officials, $4.9 million went to the Space Operations School to  develop new space education courses, and the remainder was designated  for other space cadre activities. For fiscal year 2009, the funding level is  planned to increase to about $21 million to fund the planned initiatives,  especially the efforts related to education and training.
After the Air Force issued its space cadre strategy, it developed a  detailed plan to implement the strategy, and it is executing the initiatives  in accordance with its time lines. This implementation plan focuses on  six key initiatives, as shown in table 3.
According to the Air Force Space Command, the Air Force plans to  implement most of these initiatives by 2006. Initiatives related to the  development of a National Security Space Institute will likely not be  completed by 2006 because, in addition to developing curriculum and  organizational structure issues, the Institute will require funding and  facilities.
Appointed by the Secretary of the Air Force in July 2003, the Commander,  Air Force Space Command, is the focal point for managing career  development, education, and training for the Air Force space cadre. To  assist in executing this responsibility, the Commander established a Space  Professional Task Force within the Command to develop and implement  initiatives and coordinate them with the national security space  community. According to the Commander, the centralized management  function with the authority to develop and implement Air Force policy  governing career development of Air Force space personnel has enabled  the Command to move forward with implementation activities and fully  integrate the Air Force’s strategy with the Air Force’s overall force  development program.
section_title: Marine Corps Developed Space Cadre Strategy and Is Implementing It
paragraphs: The Marine Corps has initiated actions to develop its space cadre and has  many tasks to implement its initiatives either completed or under way.  Although the Marine Corps’ space cadre is the smallest of the services with  61 active and reserve officers who were identified based on their  education and experience, the Marine Corps has a space cadre strategy to  develop and manage its space cadre and has an implementation plan to  track initiatives. The space cadre strategy was issued as a part of the DOD  space human capital strategy in February 2004. To implement its strategy,  the Marine Corps has identified key tasks and established milestones for  completion, and it is implementing them. In addition, the Marine Corps has  identified a focal point in Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, to manage its  space cadre. There is no Marine Corps funding specifically for actions to  develop its space cadre. Furthermore, the Marine Corps does not  anticipate a need for any such funding, according to a Marine Corps  official.
The Marine Corps’ strategy specifies 10 objectives for developing and  maintaining space professionals:    establish an identifiable cadre of space-qualified enlisted and civilian    create and staff additional space personnel positions in the operating    create and staff additional space positions at national security space  organizations;  improve space operations professional military education for all Marine  Corps officers;  focus the graduate education of Marine Corps space operations students  to support Marine Corps needs;  leverage interservice space training to ensure the development and  proficiency of the space cadre;    develop a management process through which interested officers can be  assigned to multiple space-related positions during their careers and still  compete for promotion with their peers;    develop a process and structure for space professionals in the Marine  Corps reserves through which they can support operations, training, and  exercises through augmentation and mobilization;  fully participate in the DOD Executive Agent for Space’s efforts to create a  space cadre; and  incorporate appropriate space professional certification processes into the  management of the Marine Corps’ space cadre.
The Marine Corps has identified actions to reach these objectives and  developed an implementation plan with milestones to monitor the  completion of these actions. For example, the Marine Corps established a  space cadre working group to address issues associated with the  identification, training, and assignment of space cadre officers. The Marine  Corps also contracted a study to obtain data to help manage Marine Corps  space personnel positions, determine space cadre requirements, and  assess other services’ training and education opportunities. According to  the Marine Corps’ strategy, the Marine Corps has started integrating joint  doctrine for space operations into its professional military education  programs and has coordinated with the Naval Postgraduate School to  create Marine Corps-specific space systems courses.
The Marine Corps has designated the Deputy Commandant for Plans,  Policies, and Operations within the Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, as  the management focal point for space cadre activities. A general officer  within this office has overall responsibility for space matters. The focal  point for the space cadre is responsible for coordinating and tracking  actions to implement the strategy.
section_title: Army Has Taken Some Actions to Develop Its Space Cadre, but It Does Not Have a Strategy or Focal Point
paragraphs: The Army has taken some actions to develop its space cadre, but it does  not have clear goals and objectives for the future because it has not  developed a space cadre strategy or identified a focal point to manage its  space cadre. Until it adopts a strategy that encompasses a total force of  officers, enlisted personnel, and civilians, the Army may not be able to  develop sufficient numbers of qualified space personnel to satisfy  requirements within the Army and in joint organizations. However,  according to Army officials, the Army does not intend to issue a strategy  until it decides whether its space cadre should include space officers,  enlisted personnel, and civilians because the strategy would be different  if the cadre is expanded beyond space operations officers.
In 1999, the Army created a career path for its space operations officers  and issued career development guidance for them. The Army considers  these officers, currently numbering about 148 on active duty, to be its  space cadre. The Army’s intent in creating the career path was to provide  space expertise and capabilities to develop space doctrine, training,  personnel, and facilities where they are needed throughout DOD in  support of military operations. Since 1999, the Army has developed a  specialized training course to provide space operations officers with the  essential skills needed to plan and conduct space operations. However, it  has not determined the critical positions for space officers or the number  of officers needed to enable it to effectively accomplish its goals of  supporting Army and DOD-wide operations. Thus, the Army may be  training too many or too few space operations officers, and space  operations officers may not be placed in the most critical positions to  support Army interests in space.
The Army is considering whether to expand its definition of its space  cadre to include other personnel beyond the space operations officers.  The Army is conducting two studies that Army officials said would provide  a basis for this decision. In 2001, the Army began a 5-year study to help it  determine whether enlisted personnel should be added to its space cadre  and, if so, how this would be accomplished. The study is intended to  determine how to recruit, train, and develop enlisted space personnel and  to assess the possibility of creating a space career management field for  them. In June 2004, the Army began a separate 15-month study to provide  additional information that would help it decide whether to expand its  space cadre definition. A decision on whether to expand the cadre to  include additional personnel is not expected until 2005.
The Army has not designated a permanent organizational focal point to  develop and manage its space cadre. According to Army officials, the  Army has to decide whether to expand its space cadre before it can  designate a permanent management focal point because these decisions  have implications as to which organization should have overall  responsibility. Currently, three different organizations have various  responsibilities for Army space cadre issues. Operations and Plans within  Army headquarters has broad responsibility for policy, strategy, force  management, and planning. Two other organizations have management  responsibilities for the space operations officers that comprise the current  Army space cadre: Army Space and Missile Defense Command provides  personnel oversight for the space operations officers and Army Human  Resources Command manages space operations officer assignments.  According to Army officials, management of space personnel has not been  centralized because the Army is a user of space and has integrated its  space capabilities into various Army branches. As a result, no single office  is charged with providing leadership on space issues and ensuring that the  Army’s space initiatives are having the desired results.
section_title: Navy Has Initiated Steps in Developing Its Space Cadre, but It Has No Strategy or Focal Point
paragraphs: The Navy has initiated steps in identifying and developing its space cadre  and has designated an advisor for space cadre issues. However, actions  have been limited because it has not developed a space human capital  strategy to provide direction and guidance for Navy actions. In addition,  the Navy has not provided centralized leadership to develop the strategy  and oversee implementation because it does not have a permanent  management focal point.
The Navy has taken some actions to strengthen space cadre management,  including providing funding for the space cadre advisor, an assistant  advisor, and contract support in the fiscal year 2005 budget. In addition,  the Navy has issued guidance requiring personnel placement officials to  coordinate with the space cadre advisor before assigning space cadre  personnel to increase the likelihood that they can be placed in appropriate  positions to effectively use and develop their space expertise. The Navy  has also developed guidance that directs promotion boards to consider  space experience when assessing candidates for promotion. Also, senior  Navy leaders are engaged in space cadre activities, according to DOD  officials. Currently, the Navy has designated 711 active duty officers and  about 300 officer and enlisted reserve members as its space cadre, based  on their previous education and experience in space activities. Space  cadre members serve in positions throughout the different functional  areas in the Navy, such as surface warfare and naval aviation. The Navy  has not identified active duty enlisted and civilians with space education  and experience, although it is in the process of identifying such personnel.
The Navy has not completed a strategy for developing and managing its  space cadre, even though the requirement for a strategy has been  recognized in official guidance. In March 2002, the Navy issued a  memorandum requiring the development of a space cadre strategy to guide  the Navy in identifying its space requirements. A Navy official said that it  was not possible to complete a space cadre strategy without an overall  Navy space policy that revised roles and responsibilities for space in the  Navy. The Navy published its space policy in April 2004, which reiterated  the need for a strategy for developing and managing Navy space  personnel. With the policy in place, the Navy plans to complete its  strategy by October 2004, according to Navy officials.
Lacking a strategy, the Navy has not identified what key actions are  needed to build its space cadre, how it intends to implement these actions,  and when it expects the key actions to be completed. For example,  the Navy has not determined the critical positions it needs to fill with  space-qualified personnel, the numbers of personnel it has that should be  in its space cadre to meet future needs for Navy and joint operations, or  the funding required to implement any planned actions. Further, without  an implementation plan that specifies actions, assigns responsibility,  provides performance measures, and identifies resources needed, the  Navy may not be able to develop and manage its space cadre so that it can  effectively participate in Navy and joint space programs.
The Navy also lacks a permanent organizational focal point to develop and  manage its space cadre and provide centralized leadership on space issues  and ensure that the Navy’s space initiatives are implemented and having  the desired results. Further, the Navy views space as integrated  throughout Navy operations and has not created a separate career field for  space personnel. In 2002, the Navy appointed a space cadre advisor to  enhance career planning and management of space cadre members;  however, the position is advisory to members of the space cadre or others  interested in working in space issues. Although the space cadre advisor  plans to draft the Navy’s space cadre strategy, the advisor has had no  official responsibility for identifying or implementing actions needed to  ensure the development and management of space professionals to meet  DOD’s future space requirements because the position has not been  funded. For example, the space cadre advisor reports to two different  offices in the Chief of Naval Operations on various space cadre issues.
section_title: Conclusions
paragraphs: The United States’ increasing reliance on space-based technologies for the  success of military operations highlights DOD’s need to develop and  maintain a cadre of space professionals who are well educated, motivated,  and skilled in the demands of space activities. Although DOD has issued a  space human capital strategy, the department does not have a plan that  explains how it intends to achieve the goals in its strategy. Without such  an implementation plan, developed jointly by the DOD Executive Agent for  Space and the military services, DOD will not be in a sound position to  effectively monitor and evaluate implementation of the strategy. Further,  without clear performance measures, DOD and the services would be  unable to assess whether actions intended to meet departmentwide goals  and objectives are effective. Therefore, it is not clear that DOD can  achieve the strategy’s purpose of integrating the services’ space personnel,  to the extent practicable, into an integrated total force of well-qualified  military and civilian personnel. Failure to achieve this could jeopardize  U.S. primacy in this critical and evolving national security area.
The military services’ efforts to implement initiatives to develop their  space cadres vary and not all initiatives are linked to service strategies and  integrated with DOD’s overall strategy. Further, some of the initiatives are  not fully developed and will require several years to complete. Because the  Army and the Navy lack a strategy to provide direction and focus for their  efforts to develop their space cadres and provide a basis to assess the  progress of their initiatives, it is unclear whether they will have sufficient  numbers of space-qualified professionals to meet future requirements in  joint and service space planning, programming, acquisition, and  operations. Furthermore, without an organizational focal point with  responsibilities for managing and coordinating space cadre efforts, the  Army and the Navy may not have the ability to develop and retain the  appropriate number of personnel with the right skills to meet both their  needs and the joint requirements of the national security space  community. Until the Army and the Navy develop strategies synchronized  with the department’s overall strategy and establish a management  approach to implementing their strategies, they may not be able to support  the department’s strategic goals and objectives and thus may undermine  efforts to strengthen this important mission area.
section_title: Recommendations for Executive Action
paragraphs: We recommend that the Secretary of Defense take the following  five actions:    Direct the DOD Executive Agent for Space, in conjunction with the  military services, to develop an implementation plan for the DOD space  human capital strategy. The plan should include performance goals,  milestones, resources needed, performance indicators, and an evaluation  process.
Direct the Secretary of the Army to develop a strategy for the Army’s  space cadre that incorporates long-term goals and approaches and is  consistent with the DOD space human capital resources strategy.
Direct the Secretary of the Army to establish a permanent organizational  focal point for developing and managing the Army’s space cadre.
Direct the Secretary of the Navy to develop a strategy for the U.S. Navy’s  space cadre that incorporates the Navy’s long-term goals and approaches  and is consistent with the DOD space human capital resources strategy.    Direct the Secretary of the Navy to establish a permanent organizational  focal point in the U.S. Navy for developing and managing the service’s  space cadre.
section_title: Agency Comments and Our Evaluation
paragraphs: In commenting on a draft of this report, DOD generally agreed with our  report and our recommendations. DOD’s comments are reprinted in their  entirety in appendix II. DOD also provided technical comments that we  have incorporated as appropriate.
DOD partially concurred with our recommendation for the Army to  establish a permanent organizational focal point for developing and  managing the Army’s space cadre. DOD stated that two different entities  are involved with managing the Army’s space cadre and the Army is in the  process of determining whether a single organization will manage its space  cadre. During our review, Army officials had differing views on the need to  establish a single organizational focal point. They told us that the Army  wants to decide whether to expand its space cadre beyond military  officers before it designates management responsibilities for the space  cadre. We believe that the Army should establish a single organizational  focal point to develop its space cadre in a timely manner. This would help  the Army to develop and retain the appropriate number of personnel with  the right skills to meet Army and joint needs.
We are sending copies of this report to interested congressional  committees; the Secretary of Defense; the DOD Executive Agent for  Space; the Secretaries of the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force; and the  Commandant of the Marine Corps. We will also make copies available to  others upon request. In addition, this report will be available at no charge  on the GAO Web site at http://www.gao.gov.
If you or your staffs have any questions, please contact me at  (202) 512-4300. Key contributors to this report are listed in appendix III.
section_title: Appendix I: Scope and Methodology
paragraphs: To determine whether the Department of Defense’s (DOD) space human  capital strategy and management approach to implementing the strategy  promote the development and integration of the military services’ space  cadres, we reviewed and analyzed the strategy and compared it to other  human capital strategies, the human capital models in our prior reports,  and the management principles contained in the Government Performance  and Results Act of 1993. We discussed the strategy and its implementation  with officials in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel  and Readiness and the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Networks and  Information Integration. We also discussed the strategy and its  implementation with DOD’s Executive Agent for Space and the officials  from his office who led the development of the strategy. We assessed the  actions taken to date to implement the strategy. We also discussed  whether the strategy would effectively integrate the services’ efforts with  officials in each of the military services and at the National  Reconnaissance Office. Specifically, for the military services, we  interviewed officials and gathered information at the Air Force Space  Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado; the Army Office of the  Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans, Arlington, Virginia; the  Army Space and Missile Defense Command, Arlington, Virginia; the Navy  Space Cadre Advisor, Arlington, Virginia; and the Office of Plans, Policies,  and Operations, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, Arlington, Virginia.
To assess the extent to which the military services have planned and  implemented actions to develop and manage their space cadres, we  analyzed documentation on strategies, initiatives, and other implementing  actions at each service and discussed them with service officials.  Locations visited to accomplish this objective were the Air Force Space  Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado; the Air Force Space  Operations School, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the Army Office of the  Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans, Arlington, Virginia; the  Army Space and Missile Defense Command, Arlington, Virginia; the Army  Force Development and Integration Center, Colorado Springs, Colorado;  the Navy Space Cadre Advisor, Arlington, Virginia; and the Office of Plans,  Policies, and Operations, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, Arlington,  Virginia. We also met with officials from the National Reconnaissance  Office, but we did not assess its workforce plan because military  personnel assigned to the office are drawn from the space cadres of the  military services.
We conducted our review from October 2003 through June 2004 in  accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. We  did not test for data reliability because we did not use DOD generated data  in our analysis of DOD’s management approach.
section_title: Appendix II: Comments from the Department of Defense
section_title: Appendix III: GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments
subsections: section_title: GAO Contact
section_title: Acknowledgments
paragraphs: In addition to the individual named above, Alan M. Byroade, John E. Clary,  Raymond J. Decker, Linda S. Keefer, Renee S. McElveen, and Kimberly C.  Seay also made key contributions to this report.
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