House Appropriators Approve FY2017 Defense Bill

House Appropriators Approve FY2017 Defense Bill

The House Appropriations Committee approved the FY2017 defense appropriations bill today.  It generally steers clear of the RD-180 controversy that is so prevalent in the other defense committees, approving the $296.6 million requested for building an alternative U.S. engine, offering no comment on how many RD-180s should be procured while that new engine is developed.  However, it does dip into the topic of awarding launches on a competitive basis and reduces from five to three the number of Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles (EELVs) that may be procured in FY2017.  The committee expresses concern about planning for future satellite systems, including weather satellites, and provides funding for a commercial weather pilot project.

Strictly speaking, appropriations committees provide funding while authorizing committees set policy and recommend funding levels.  The House Armed Services Committee (HASC) is the defense authorization committee in the House.  Its bill, the FY2017 National Defense Authorization Act, is currently being debated on the House floor.  (Not sure of the difference between an authorization and an appropriation?  See SpacePolicyOnline.com’s  “What’s a Markup?” fact sheet.)

The House Appropriations Committee’s views on national security space issues include the following:

  • Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS).  The committee is concerned that new payload technology is being developed without an approved future systems architecture. It also worries that the SBIRS analysis of alternatives for a future system lacks clearly defined roles and responsibilities to determine requirements. It directs the Secretary of the Air Force to brief congressional defense and intelligence committees and reduces funding for “Evolved SBIRS” by $20 million (from a total SBIRS RDT&E request of $162 million) as an “unjustified request.”
  • Satellite Communications and AEHF.  The committee is concerned that DOD does not have a unified satellite communications architecture, including the purchase of commercial services, and that the Services and elements of the Office of the Secretary of Defense appear to be at odds over planning for future space, ground and user equipment systems.  It encourages the Secretary of Defense to consolidate SATCOM planning and budget authority into one entity and reduces funding for Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) MILSATCOM by $30 million (from the RDT&E request of $229 million) as an “unjustified request.”
  • Weather Satellite Follow-on and Commercial Weather Pilot Project.  The committee is concerned that DOD lacks sufficient focus and planning capability to efficiently and affordably meet weather data collection requirements.  Five near-term data gaps exist. The Air Force has no approved plan for remediating two of them and remediating the other three involves building and launching a technology demonstration satellite which, if successful, would lead to an interim free-flying satellite until a long term plan is devised.  No formal effort is underway to design a baseline system.  Therefore, the request of $119 million is cut by $30 million.  The committee also adds $5 million for a commercial weather satellite pilot project similar to the one created by Congress for NOAA last year (HASC recommends creation of the pilot program, funded at $3 million in FY2017).  It also cuts $5 million from an NRO weather study. (The HASC bill proposes transferring the weather satellite program to NRO from the Air Force until the system is operational.)
  • Launch Vehicle Procurement. The committee cuts the request for procuring Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles (EELVs).  It approves $1.028 billion for three EELVs. The request was $1.501 billion for five EELVs.  The committee explains its action only by saying that the request is “early to need.”  The bill also provides (Sec. 8047) that competitively procured launch services must be open for award to all certified providers of EELV-class systems and the award shall be made to the provider that offers the best value (not necessarily the best price) to the government.
  • Alternative Rocket Engine.  The committee provides $296.6 million for the development of an alternative rocket engine for space launch, the same as the request.

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