Report of the Commission to Assess
United States National Security,
Space Management and Organization

The Commission to Assess United States National Security Space Management
and Organization was established pursuant to Public Law 106-65,
the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2000, Section 1622.


Executive Summary (2.8 MB PDF File)

Preliminary (1 MB PDF File)

Table of Contents (55 KB PDF File)

Chapter I: The Commission's Charter (200 KB PDF File)

The Commission to Assess United States National Security Space Management and Organization was established pursuant to Public Law 106-65, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2000, Section 1622.

Chapter II: Space: Today and the Future (15 MB PDF File)

The security and economic well being of the United States and its allies and friends depend on the nation’s ability to operate successfully in space.  To be able to contribute to peace and stability in a distinctly different but still dangerous and complex global environment, the U.S. needs to remain at the forefront in space, technologically and operationally, as we have in the air, on land and at sea. Specifically, the U.S. must have the capability to use space as an integral part of its ability to manage crises, deter conflicts and, if deterrence fails, to prevail in conflict.

Chapter III: U.S. Objectives for Space (3 MB PDF File)

How the U.S. develops the potential of space for civil, commercial, defense and intelligence purposes will affect the nation’s security for decades to come.

 Chapter IV: Organizations that Affect National Security Space (0.8 MB PDF File)

This chapter describes the principal organizations involved in national security space activities, concentrating on the Executive Office of the President, the Department of Defense, the Intelligence Community and the Congress.

Chapter V: Management of National Security Space Activities (5.2 MB PDF File)

A number of issues transcend organizational approaches and are important to the ability of the U.S. to achieve its objectives in space. These are issues that the national leadership, the Department of Defense and the Intelligence Community should address in the near term, irrespective of particular organizational arrangements that may be pursued. Resolution of them would both benefit and support organizational changes.

Chapter VI: Organizing and Managing for the Future (0.6 MB PDF File)

National security space organization and management today fail to reflect the growing importance of space to U.S. interests.

Chapter VII: Conclusions of the Commission (67 KB PDF File)

The members of this Commission have, together, identified five matters of key importance that we believe need attention quickly from the top levels of the U.S. Government. We have drawn these conclusions from six months of assessing U.S. national security space activities, including 32 days of meetings with 77 present and former senior officials and knowledgeable private sector representatives.

Chapter VIII:  Attachments (100 KB PDF File)

This chapter contains resumes, meetings, acknowledgements, and a glossary for organization charts.

Background Papers 

Additional documents used by the Commission will be made available by 9 February, 2001.


Source: http://www.space.gov/commission/report.htm