Technology, Innovation and Great Power Competition,TIGPC, Gordian knot Center, DIME-FIL, department of defense, dod, intlpol 340, joe felter, ms&e296, raj shah, stanford, Steve blank, AI, ML, AI/ML, china, unmanned, autonomy, space force

1. Final Problem Statement
The United States Space Force lacks the
supply chain and rapid launch capabilities
needed to respond to contingencies in
space. The private sector possesses these
capabilities, but is not being adequately
leveraged or incentivized.
Original Problem Statement
The USSF must leverage commercial
innovation and establish a trained,
experienced acquisition workforce that can
effectively balance commercial and
government-only capabilities that will deliver
acquisition and innovation impact that the
Space Force requires.
Conducted 31 Interviews
Along the Way
Arden Farr
- MIP '23
- BA International
Affairs & Economics '21
Francesca Bentley
- MIP '23
- BA Political Science &
Psychology '21
Donovan Tokuyama
-MS MS&E '22
- BS Computer Science
‘20
Omar Pimentel
-MIP '23
- BA Political Science &
Economics ‘19
Mi Jin Ryu
- MIP '23
- BA Chinese Culture &
Economics '14
Team Apollo

2. Problem Starting Point: The Odyssey

3. Source: Satellite Database, Union of Concerned Scientists

4. We Conducted 31 Interviews
Private Sector Entities Government Agencies / Nonprofits

5. Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9
Acquisitions
Wartime Scenario?
Plug & Play
Contracts
Analogous Mechanisms
Private Incentivization
Our Trajectory

6. Week 2 Week 3
Acquisitions
Team Morale Meter:
“Accelerate change or lose.”
- Prominent DC lobbyist

7. Week 2 Week 3
Acquisitions
Wartime Scenario?
“We can’t convince China not to
attack us. We need to convince
China that it won’t be effective.”
- Stanford Professor & China Expert
“Accelerate change or lose.”
- Prominent DC lobbyist
Team Morale Meter:
Week 2: Takeaway
Establish a trained, experienced
acquisition workforce that can
effectively balance commercial and
government-only capabilities that
will deliver acquisition and
innovation impact that the Space
Force requires.
Week 2: Focus
USSF isn’t integrating
the private sector’s
emerging technologies
enough into the agency.

8. Week 2 Week 3
Acquisitions
Wartime Scenario?
“We can’t convince China not to
attack us. We need to convince
China that it won’t be effective.”
- Stanford Professor & China Expert
“Accelerate change or lose.”
- Prominent DC lobbyist
Team Morale Meter:

9. Week 4 Week 5
Wartime Scenario?
Team Morale Meter:
”We need to optimize our
rapid response capabilities.”
-U.S. Space Force Officer

10. Week 4 Week 5
Wartime Scenario?
Plug & Play
“We don’t want assets, we
want services.”
- Space Force Acquisitions Officer
Team Morale Meter:
”We need to optimize our
rapid response capabilities.”
-U.S. Space Force Officer

11. Week 4 Week 5
Wartime Scenario?
Plug & Play
“We don’t want assets, we
want services.”
- Space Force Acquisitions Officer
Team Morale Meter:
”We need to optimize our
rapid response capabilities.”
-U.S. Space Force Officer
Week 4: Focus
USSF needs to increase the
wartime readiness of its
space assets while still
facilitating an agile and
competitive private sector.
Week 4: Takeaway
Develop a resilient, redundant,
and national asset network via
an effective balance of
commercial and government-
only capabilities.

12. Week 6 Week 7
Plug & Play ”It’s important to be mindful
of what strings are attached
when working with the
government.”
- Space Start-up
Team Morale Meter:

13. Week 6 Week 7
Plug & Play
Private Incentivization
“The risk of being shot down
does increase by working
with the government.”
- Space Start-up
”It’s important to be mindful
of what strings are attached
when working with the
government.”
- Space Start-up
Team Morale Meter:

14. Week 6 Week 7
Plug & Play
Private Incentivization
“The risk of being shot down
does increase by working
with the government.”
- Space Start-up
”It’s important to be mindful
of what strings are attached
when working with the
government.”
- Space Start-up
Team Morale Meter:
Week 6: Focus
USSF isn’t integrating the
private sector’s
emerging capabilities
and concepts
enough into the agency.
Week 6: Takeaway
Identification of the assets,
capabilities, and incentive
mechanisms needed to
identify potential partners
and make partnering with
the USSF more desirable.

15. Week 7 Week 8
Private Incentivization
“Look at what the Air Force does
with the Civil Reserve Air Fleet.
What’s stopping the Space Force
from forming a Civil Reserve
Space Fleet?”
- DIU Space Portfolio Director
Team Morale Meter:

16. Week 7 Week 8
Private Incentivization
“Look at what the Air Force does
with the Civil Reserve Air Fleet.
What’s stopping the Space Force
from forming a Civil Reserve
Space Fleet?”
- DIU Space Portfolio Director
Analogous Mechanisms
Team Morale Meter:

17. Week 7 Week 8
Private Incentivization
“Look at what the Air Force does
with the Civil Reserve Air Fleet.
What’s stopping the Space Force
from forming a Civil Reserve
Space Fleet?”
- DIU Space Portfolio Director
Analogous Mechanisms
Team Morale Meter:
Week 7: Focus
USSF lacks the necessary
frameworks and
incentive mechanisms it
needs to best leverage the
American commercial space
industry as a valuable
redundancy layer in case of
emergency.
Week 7: Takeaway
A Civil Reserve Space Fleet
would provide the Space
Force with the necessary
stockpile of assets, and
redundancy layer, on the
ground to act swiftly and
boldly during a time of
crisis.

18. Week 8 Week 9
Analogous Mechanisms
“A Civil Reserve Space Fleet only deals
with exigent circumstances. We need to
be utilizing this across the board.”
- Space Force Colonel
Team Morale Meter:

19. Week 8 Week 9
Contracts
Analogous Mechanisms
“A Civil Reserve Space Fleet only deals
with exigent circumstances. We need to
be utilizing this across the board.”
- Space Force Colonel
Team Morale Meter:

20. Week 8 Week 9
Contracts
Analogous Mechanisms
“A Civil Reserve Space Fleet only deals
with exigent circumstances. We need to
be utilizing this across the board.”
- Space Force Colonel
Team Morale Meter:
Week 8: Final Problem Statement
Contractual frameworks with these
private entities that ensure the USSF’s
unimpeded access to assets,
information, and well-established
supply chain during times of crisis.

21. :
Proposed Solution:
Leverage Authorities & Contractual/Legal Best Practices
Big Idea: Take advantage of Space Force's newness to fully utilize existing authorities and
design flexible contracting mechanisms by repurposing force augmentation and acquisition
best practices from the other services.
Request for Proposals
Language
• Contractual Clauses
Build out a Civil
Reserve Space Fleet.
• Open-source Standards
Increase
interoperability and
prevent expensive
rework.
• Service Level Agreements
(SLAs)
Take advantage of
preexisting supply chains
for production and launch.
• Other Transaction Authority
(OTAs)
Increase agility through less
burdensome acquisition
authorities.
Joint Civilian/Government
Fleet
• ”Merchant Guardians”
Capitalize on growing
commercialization of
space and renewed
public interest by
creating an auxiliary
force.
Request for Proposals
Language
Trust Our Partners & Build
New Relationships
Joint Civilian/Government
Fleet

22. Our Own Take on
Our Own Solution
Additional Research and Funding (R&D)
is required
Mechanisms lack novelty, but can
address some short-term issues
Some aspects of solution may weigh
down SF
Barriers to entry still exist for non-
incumbents

23. Next Steps
Consider single-use case for
DIU/Spaceworks type sectors
Set the stage for bringing in first
potential private partners into the fold
Identify key stakeholders that would
push this initiative along
This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY.

24. Questions?