Latest news with #PhilipGarrant
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Space Force ramps up UK partnership with civilian exchange program
The United States and the United Kingdom have established a new joint exchange program between their space programs encouraging civilian employees to expand their knowledge of the field, officials announced Tuesday. The first-of-its-kind collaboration between U.S. Space Systems Command, or SSC, and U.K. Space Command will broaden a burgeoning space domain alliance between the two nations by enabling professionals to learn new skills, according to a joint release. 'Our civilian and military Guardians and Airmen deserve our investment in their careers,' said Lt. Gen. Philip Garrant, SSC commander. 'By offering opportunities to strengthen and grow our workforce through programs such as APEP, we get after exactly that objective. In order to develop a world-class workforce, we must continue to partner to win.' U.S. Space Systems Command, operating under a $15.6 billion DOD budget, is the field command for the U.S. Space Force. U.K. Space Command performs a similar function for the U.K.'s Ministry of Defence. The civilian exchange program agreement — using the already established Administrative and Professional Exchange Program as its foundation — falls under the U.S. Defense Personnel Exchange Program, an initiative allowing individuals to 'exchange positions with their counterparts in another organization,' even across different countries, to gain a new understanding of the field. The first U.S. civilian to participate in the program, Tara Browne, Space Systems Command/International Affairs deputy division chief for strategy and plans, arrived in the U.K. earlier this month. Space Force commander fired after email DOD says 'undermined' JD Vance The program was signed into effect on Nov. 18, 2024, by U.S. Deputy Undersecretary of the Air Force for International Affairs Kelli Seybolt, following sign-off by U.K Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton. 'I know first-hand the value of our exchange programs,' said Ma. Gen. Paul Tedman, U.K. Space Command commander. 'They allow us to build trust, learn from each other, and enhance cooperation. Our people, on both sides of the Atlantic, remain our greatest asset, and this new civilian exchange program will ensure alignment of U.S. and U.K. space architectural design.' The partnership between the ally nations has gained steam in the last year, including the 2024 appointment of Air Marshal Paul Godfrey from the U.K.'s Royal Air Force to the U.S. Space Force's assistant chief of space operations for future concepts and partnerships. Godfrey previously served as the first commander of the U.K. Space Command.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Space Development Agency to re-bid contentious prototype contract
The Space Development Agency will recompete a contract awarded last year to Tyvak, a small satellite manufacturer, following a lawsuit claiming the agency violated procurement rules. Last August, SDA awarded contracts to Tyvak and York Space Systems to develop prototype satellites to demonstrate advanced tactical satellite communication capabilities that could inform future technology development within the agency. Tyvak received $254 million and York $170 million to build and operate 10 satellites each. The next month, Viasat, one of the losing bidders, filed a protest with the U.S. Court of Federal Claims alleging SDA did not fairly consider its proposal and that other firms were given an unfair advantage in the process. As part of an internal review, the Air Force determined that an SDA official violated the Procurement Integrity Act in its communication with Tyvak and other contractors, and in an update filed Feb. 14, SDA said it would re-compete the firm's contract but leave York's intact. Tyvak, a subsidiary of Terran Orbital that is now owned by Lockheed Martin, has been under a stop work order since mid-December, an SDA spokesperson told Defense News. York's work, however, has not been disrupted. SDA declined to provide details on the schedule for awarding a new contract and said a solicitation will be released soon. According to the court documents, the competition will be managed by personnel not involved in the original awards. The court filings note that re-opening competition for the effort could have implications for SDA's Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, a constellation that will include hundreds of data-transport and missile-tracking satellites. Because the prototypes are meant to inform future technology for that constellation, a delay to their delivery could be a setback for the effort. An SDA spokesperson refused to elaborate on the impact of the delay. The documents claim that an SDA procurement official influenced the source selection by revealing to one of the competing contractors that its bid was the second highest the agency received and wouldn't be selected. The official also instructed Tyvak to partner with an unnamed contractor and conveyed 'expectations regarding their proposal pricing.' The Air Force in its review called the communication 'prejudicial.' Following the review, the service placed then-Space Development Agency Director Derek Tournear on administrative leave, and on Jan. 16 appointed Lt. Gen. Philip Garrant, who leads Space Systems Command, as acting director. Garrant has since been replaced by William Blauser, who is now leading SDA in an acting capacity. The Air Force's inspector general, meanwhile, is investigating Tournear, and the Pentagon's acquisition executive Steven Morani has directed the Air Force to establish an independent review team to evaluate SDA's performance, organizational structure and acquisition approach.
