The Air Force is using new authority from Congress to get a head start on two development efforts yet to be approved as part of a formal budget cycle. Details on the programs are classified, but one is a Space Force initiative to improve the resilience of GPS satellites and the second is an Air Force effort related to developing a battle management system for moving target indication, or tracking mobile targets from air and space.
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall mentioned that this initiative will leverage the success of rapid acquisition authority to advance national security objectives with unprecedented speed and efficiency. Lawmakers approved the authority known as Quick Start in the Fiscal 2024 National Defense Authorization Act in December, giving military services the ability to start on programs before Congress approves them.
The two Air Force and Space Force programs selected for Quick Start are expected to be included in the service’s fiscal 2026 budget request. It allows the military services to respond to new threats and take advantage of emerging technologies in real time. GPS resiliency and moving target indication are two priority efforts for the Air Force and Space Force.
The Space Force is actively engaging with the private sector to understand how smaller GPS satellites or alternative technology could improve the military’s positioning, navigation, and timing capabilities. The Air Force and Space Force have been working together to create an architecture for moving target indication that uses both aircraft and satellites to provide persistent surveillance to commanders on the ground.
