The U.S. Air Force secretary is assuming the responsibility of procuring commercial satellite communications services as part of the move to create a Space Force, Space News reported Monday.
The Space Force’s establishment would lead to the termination of the Air Force Space Command, which is responsible to acquire satcom services for the Department of Defense. The Pentagon’s proposal would have AFSPC’s personnel and duties transferred to the Space Force and U.S. Space Command.
In fiscal year 2018, Congress mandated AFSPC to assume satcom procurement duties from the Defense Information Systems Agency. The DoD will submit a proposal to Congress as part of its continued push to establish a Space Force.