Defense Space Activities: Additional Actions Needed to Implement 
Human Capital Strategy and Develop Space Personnel (11-AUG-04,	 
GAO-04-697).							 
                                                                 
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.	 
-------------------------Indexing Terms------------------------- 
REPORTNUM:   GAO-04-697 					        
    ACCNO:   A11496						        
  TITLE:     Defense Space Activities: Additional Actions Needed to   
Implement Human Capital Strategy and Develop Space Personnel	 
     DATE:   08/11/2004 
  SUBJECT:   Defense capabilities				 
	     Defense operations 				 
	     Space exploration					 
	     Military personnel 				 
	     Personnel management				 
	     Strategic planning 				 
	     Performance measures				 
	     Civilian employees 				 
	     Human capital					 

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GAO-04-697

                 United States Government Accountability Office

                     GAO Report to Congressional Committees

August 2004

DEFENSE SPACE ACTIVITIES

Additional Actions Needed to Implement Human Capital Strategy and Develop Space
                                   Personnel

                                       a

GAO-04-697

Highlights of GAO-04-697, a report to the Senate and House Committees on
Armed Services

The Department of Defense (DOD) relies on space for many critical
capabilities, and its continued success in space operations depends on
having sufficient spacequalified 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.

August 2004

DEFENSE SPACE ACTIVITIES

Additional Actions Needed to Implement Human Capital Strategy and Develop Space
Personnel

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 (see table below). 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.

Air Force Space Personnel Strategy Initiatives GAO recommends that DOD
Initiative Description

develop an implementation plan for Identification and classification of
space Determine the unique skills that distinguish its strategy, as well
as develop personnel space personnel from personnel in other career
strategies and establish focal points specialties and identify the
space-qualified

for managing the services' space personnel.

personnel. Education and training 	Institute stronger, technically
oriented space education and training programs.

In its comments, Positions and  Identify each space personnel position and 
    DOD generally    requirements    determine the education, experience, and 
    concurred with                       certification requirements for every 
    GAO's report.                                                   position. 
                    Certification   Design a certification program to measure 
                                          progress throughout an individual's 
                                                                      career. 

Professional development Issue career development guidance for space

www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-04-697. Management	personnel. Establish a
permanent space professional

To view the full product, including the scope management function.
and methodology, click on the link above. Source: GAO's analysis of
information provided by the Air Force Space Command.
For more information, contact Henry L.
Hinton, Jr. at (202) 512-4300 or
[email protected].

Contents

      Letter                                                                1 
                                     Results in Brief                       3 
                                        Background                          5 
                   DOD Issued a Space Human Capital Strategy but Has No    
                                   Implementation Plan                      7 
                Extent of Services' Initiatives to Develop Space Cadres    12 
                Varies                                                     
                                       Conclusions                         20 
                           Recommendations for Executive Action            21 
                            Agency Comments and Our Evaluation             21 
    Appendix I                    Scope and Methodology                    
Appendix II           Comments from the Department of Defense           
Appendix III           GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments            

  Tables

Table 1: Elements of a Results-Oriented Management Framework 8 Table 2:
DOD's Space Human Capital Resources Strategy Objectives 10 Table 3: Air
Force Space Cadre Implementation Initiatives and Status 14

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separately.

United States Government Accountability Office Washington, DC 20548

August 11, 2004

The Honorable John W. Warner
Chairman
The Honorable Carl Levin
Ranking Minority Member
Committee on Armed Services
United States Senate

The Honorable Duncan L. Hunter
Chairman
The Honorable Ike Skelton
Ranking Minority Member
Committee on Armed Services
House of Representatives

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.1 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.2 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

1 U.S. General Accounting Office, Defense Space Activities: Organizational
Changes Initiated, but Further Management Actions Needed, GAO-03-379
(Washington, D.C.: Apr. 18, 2003).

2 Pub. L. 108-136, Sec. 547, Nov. 24, 2003.

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.)

                                Results in Brief

DOD's space human capital strategy is a significant first step that
promotes the development and integration of DOD's space cadres by
providing strategic goals and objectives; however, DOD does not have a
complete management approach for implementing its strategy. DOD's
management approach is incomplete because it does not contain the
principles of a results-oriented management framework, which would include
a plan that details specific actions, responsibilities, time frames, and
evaluation measures to implement the strategy. The strategy describes
long-term goals for space personnel integration and education and
highlights some key actions that DOD needs to take to develop its space
personnel programs. The strategy also articulates objectives related to
leadership, policy, career development, education, training, data
collection, management, and best practices. DOD has initiated some steps
to implement its strategy, but it has not completed any of the key actions
identified in the strategy. However, without a detailed plan that
identifies key actions, DOD will not be in a sound position to effectively
monitor and evaluate implementation of the strategy to achieve the
strategy's purpose of integrating the services' space personnel into a
cohesive DOD total force to the extent practicable.

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 taken significant actions to develop and
manage their space cadres; however, the Army's and Navy's actions have
been limited because these two services do not have clear goals and
objectives for their space cadres or focal points designated to manage the
cadres. Long-term strategies and effective leadership through a
centralized

organizational focal point are important tools the military services can
use to develop and manage their space cadres. The Air Force, which has the
largest space cadre, approved a strategy for developing, educating, and
maintaining its space cadre in July 2003 and designated the Commander, Air
Force Space Command, as the focal point for developing and managing its
space cadre. The Air Force has begun implementing its strategy, including
revising training courses and identifying the members of its space cadre,
and plans to complete implementation of most of its initiatives by 2006.
The Marine Corps, which has the smallest number of space personnel, has
developed a strategy and established a centralized focal point. It has
also identified tasks and milestones to implement its strategy and
completed many of the tasks outlined in its implementation plan. The Army
has identified officers with space experience and training as members of
its space cadre and established specialized education for these space
officers, but the Army does not have clear goals and objectives for the
future because it has not developed a space cadre strategy or designated a
permanent, organizational focal point. The Army does not plan to develop a
strategy until it decides whether enlisted and civilian personnel will be
managed as part of its space cadre. Further, the Army has not identified a
focal point for managing its space cadre that would provide leadership on
developing and maintaining the required space personnel. The Navy is in
the process of identifying critical space positions and military and
civilian personnel who have space training, education, and experience to
form the basis for its space cadre. The Navy plans to develop a strategy
for developing and managing its space personnel by October 2004 based on
its April 2004 space policy. The Navy does not have an organizational
focal point for space cadre issues because space is seen as a function
that is integrated across Navy activities. However, without strategies and
organizational focal points, the Army and the Navy may not be able to
determine their requirements for space personnel and develop a cadre of
sufficient numbers of space professionals with the required training,
education, and experience to meet service and joint requirements.

We recommend that DOD develop a plan to implement the key actions
identified in the defensewide space human capital strategy. We also
recommend that the Army and the Navy develop space human capital
strategies and establish focal points to develop their space cadres and
manage their space cadre initiatives. In commenting on a draft of this
report, DOD generally concurred with the report.

Background

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.3 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 spacequalified 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,

3 Report of the Commission to Assess United States National Security Space
Management and Organization, Washington, D.C., January 11, 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.4 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.5 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,6
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

4 Section 1.2, DOD Directive 5101.2, DOD Executive Agent for Space, June
3, 2003.

5 U.S. General Accounting Office, High-Risk Series: An Update, GAO-01-263
(Washington, D.C.: January 2001).

6 U.S. General Accounting Office, A Model of Strategic Human Capital
Management, GAO-02-373SP (Washington, D.C.: Mar. 15, 2002).

  DOD Issued a Space Human Capital Strategy but Has No Implementation Plan

capabilities, identifying gaps in these capabilities and resources needed,
and designing evaluation methods.7

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.

    Management Framework Would Include a Strategy and an Implementation Plan

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 1993,8
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.

7 U.S. General Accounting Office, Human Capital: Key Principles for
Effective Strategic Workforce Planning, GAO-04-39 (Washington, D.C.: Dec.
11, 2003).

8 Pub. L. 103-62.

Table 1: Elements of a Results-Oriented Management Framework

Principle Critical elements

Define the program's overall purpose, mission, and intent (i.e.,
strategy).

Describe detailed implementation actions as well as measurements and
indicators of performance (i.e., performance plan).

                                       o

                                       o

                                       o

                                     o   o

                                     o   o

                                       o

Long-term goals-typically general in nature that lay out what the agency
wants to accomplish in the next 5 years.

Approaches-general methods the agency plans to use to accomplish longterm
goals.

External factors-factors that may significantly affect the agency's
ability to accomplish goals.

Performance goals-stated in objective measurable form.

Resources-a description of the resources needed to meet the performance
goals.

Performance indicators-mechanisms to measure outcomes of the program.

Evaluation plan-means to compare and report on program results versus
performance goals.

Corrective actions-a list of actions needed to address or revise any unmet
goals.

                                  Source: GAO.

    DOD's Space Human Capital Strategy Established Direction for the Future

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,9 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:

9 Department of Defense, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for
Personnel and Readiness, Strategic Plan 2001-2006.

(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

o  	ensure the services develop space cadres to fulfill their unique
mission needs;

o  	synchronize the services' space cadre activities to increase
efficiency and reduce unnecessary redundancies;

o  	improve the integration of space capabilities for joint war fighting
and intelligence;

o  assign the best space professionals to critical positions;

o  	increase the number of skilled, educated, and experienced space
professionals; and

o  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.

        Table 2: DOD's Space Human Capital Resources Strategy Objectives

Category Objectives

Leadership  o  	Under the leadership of the DOD Executive Agent for Space,
create a Senior Officer Forum to discuss policy, validate requirements,
approve space professional development plans, and guide the
synchronization and integration of the department's space cadre efforts.

o  	Promote the development of a cadre of space professionals within each
of the military departments.

o  	Provide guidance on professional development efforts and activities.

Policy  o  	Develop, implement, and assess space professional development
policies and practices where practicable.

Education and  o  Establish a common baseline of knowledge and expertise.
training  o  Enhance space education and training.

o  	Eliminate unnecessary redundancies or overlaps in training and
education.

o  Eliminate critical gaps that may exist in training and education.

o  	Establish arrangements for joint use of education and training
programs.

Data collection  o  	Collect data on space cadre size, skills,
competencies, promotion, retention, retirement eligibility, and personnel
availability, as well as designated space cadre positions, requirements to
fill positions, vacancies of "critical" positions and rate of filling
positions with unqualified personnel.

Management  o  Create a human capital resources management team.

o  	Assess DOD, joint, and component needs, gaps in skills and
competencies of available personnel, and adequacy of available pipeline to
fulfill programmed need.

o  	Create management process to meet future programmatic needs and ensure
organizations have the right people, with the right skills, doing the
right jobs, in the right place, at the right time by identifying and
selectively manning "critical" billets and establishing a baseline
certification process.

o  	Direct resources and efforts to solve appropriate space professional
development synchronization and integration issues when institutional
barriers exist.

o  	Develop and coordinate professional development plans and integrate
the plans into space planning and programming documentation.

Best practices  o  	Identify and implement best practices to the maximum
extent practicable.

o  	Create and execute demonstration programs to test new approaches.

Source: DOD Executive Agent for Space, Space Human Capital Resources
Strategy: A Report to the Congressional Defense Committees, Arlington,
Virginia, February 2004.

    DOD Has Not Developed an Implementation Plan for Its Strategy

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

o  preparing for an education and training summit;

o  evaluating space cadre best practices;

o  developing policy on human capital development and use;

o  	determining the scope, nature, and specialties associated with space
personnel certification; and

o  issuing a call for demonstration projects.

  Extent of Services' Initiatives to Develop Space Cadres Varies

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.

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.

    Air Force Has Taken Actions in Developing Its Space Cadre

The Air Force approved its space cadre strategy in July 2003,10 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 3.11

10 Air Force Space Command, U.S. Air Force Space Professional Strategy,
April 16, 2003.

11 The Air Force has expanded the concept of its space cadre from the "Air
Force officer career field for space" to include the total force of
officers, enlisted personnel, and government civilians.

      Table 3: Air Force Space Cadre Implementation Initiatives and Status

                               Initiative Status

Identification and classification of space cadre: Determine  o  Officers
and enlisted personnel have been identified. the unique skills that
distinguish space cadre personnel from  o  Process of identifying
civilians is under way and plan to complete personnel in other career
specialties and identify space cadre by fall 2004.

members.  o  	Types and levels of experience of individuals that will be
used to document and track the combination of skills obtained by each
space cadre member have been identified, as well as the set of skills
required to serve in each space position.

Education and training: Institute stronger, technically oriented  o  Air
Force's Space Operations School has fielded new space space education and
training programs. courses and is developing more to provide a continuum
of

educational courses spread throughout the space professional's

career. Many courses are open to all services.

o  	Plans for a multi-service National Security Space Institute are being
developed.a

Positions and requirements: Identify each space cadre  o  A data call has
been initiated to identify and validate every space position and determine
the education, experience, and position in the Air Force and the
requirements to fill that position.

certification requirements for every position. Estimated to be complete by
fall 2004.

o  	Information developed will be compiled into space cadre career
planning guides (see professional development).

Certification: Design a certification program to measure  o  Certification
plan is complete for officers and enlisted personnel, progress throughout
an individual's career. but it has not been implemented.

o  Civilian certification requirements are under development.

Professional development: Issue career development  o  Career planning
guides are being developed for individual space guidance for space
personnel. personnel, with publication planned in spring 2005.

Management: Establish a permanent space professional  o  The Directorate
of Personnel at Air Force Space Command took management function. over
space professional management in summer 2004.

o  	The space professional management office will provide continuing
management and oversight of the implementation of the space cadre
initiatives.

Source: GAO's analysis of information provided by the Air Force Space
Command.

aThe National Security Space Institute, when established, is intended to
be a multi-service resource for centralized space power education and
training across the national security space community by providing
advanced space operations curriculum and tactics development programs for
mid-career, commander-level, and senior-leadership space professionals.

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.

    Marine Corps Developed Space Cadre Strategy and Is Implementing It

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:

o  	establish an identifiable cadre of space-qualified enlisted and
civilian marines;

o  	create and staff additional space personnel positions in the operating
forces;

o  	create and staff additional space positions at national security space
organizations;

o  	improve space operations professional military education for all
Marine Corps officers;

o  	focus the graduate education of Marine Corps space operations students
to support Marine Corps needs;

o  	leverage interservice space training to ensure the development and
proficiency of the space cadre;

o  	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;

o  	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;

o  	fully participate in the DOD Executive Agent for Space's efforts to
create a space cadre; and

o  	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.

    Army Has Taken Some Actions to Develop Its Space Cadre, but It Does Not Have
    a Strategy or Focal Point

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.12 The Army considers
these officers, currently numbering about 148 on active duty, to be its
space cadre.13 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

12 Department of the Army Pamphlet 600-3, Chapter 41, October 1998.

13 In addition to the space cadre's officers, the Army has identified
another 593 officers who have some space experience, but they are not
considered part of the Army's space cadre.

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.

    Navy Has Initiated Steps in Developing Its Space Cadre, but It Has No
    Strategy or Focal Point

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.14 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.15 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.

14 Under Secretary of the Navy memorandum to the Navy and the Marine Corps
on Naval Space Panel Implementation Planning, March 13, 2002.

15 Secretary of the Navy Instruction 5400.39c, April 6, 2004.

Conclusions

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.

Recommendations for 	We recommend that the Secretary of Defense take the
following five actions:

  Executive Action

o  	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.

o  	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.

o  	Direct the Secretary of the Army to establish a permanent
organizational focal point for developing and managing the Army's space
cadre.

o  	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.

o  Direct the Secretary of the Navy to establish a permanent
organizational

  Agency Comments
  and Our Evaluation

focal point in the U.S. Navy for developing and managing the service's
space cadre.

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.

Henry L. Hinton, Jr. Managing Director, Defense Capabilities and
Management

                       Appendix I: Scope and Methodology

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.

Appendix I: Scope and Methodology

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.

Appendix II: Comments from the Department of Defense

Appendix II: Comments from the Department of Defense

Note: Page numbers in the draft report may differ from those in this
report.

Appendix II: Comments from the Department of Defense

Appendix III: GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments

GAO Contact Margaret G. Morgan (202) 512-8975

Acknowledgments 	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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