Space Operations Command Shifts Strategies in Managing Land-Based System Controls
The U.S. Space Force enhances its ground command-and-control systems modernization by weaving together disparate systems, particularly through pivotal programs such as FORGE (Future Operationally Resilient Ground Evolution).
In a bid to streamline complex ground control systems and address past setbacks associated with delays and malfunctions, the Space Force is transitioning to a more flexible, modular, and swift development approach for software utilized in commanding and controlling missile warning and orbital warfare operations. This strategy emulates modern commercial guidelines.
"Ground systems are not secondary to space components," said Col. Robert Davis, program executive officer of the Space Sensing Directorate at Space Systems Command (SSC). "A considerable amount of attention was given to space segments, but we must equally focus on the ground systems," he remarked at the AFA Warfare Symposium.
Former Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition, Frank Calvelli, pinpointed ground systems development as his priority among nine key tenets for successful acquisition. He encouraged program managers to split apart ground and software-intensive systems into smaller, manageable modules for timelier deployment.
Past programs like the OCX system for GPS satellites and the ATLAS program for commanding space domain awareness assets have experienced delays. The Future Operationally Resilient Ground Evolution (FORGE) has also encountered scrutiny. The Government Accountability Office cautioned last year that FORGE needs to reach maturity by the end of fiscal 2026 to meet the Next-Gen OPIR Polar launch schedule.
SSC recently awarded a $151 million contract to BAE Systems for FORGE's prototype command and control software. This software will join a framework system, which includes the hardware and operating system to host the control software, already deployed at Buckley Space Force Base, Colorado.
Davis explained that other components include a mission data processing application and relay ground stations. SSC considers FORGE as a "system of systems, program of programs," he said, ensuring heightened cybersecurity and resilience for the ground system.
Lt. Gen. Philip A. Garrant, SSC commander, expressed confidence that FORGE will be capable of supporting new satellites, stating, "We are very pleased with the results, and what FORGE has shown on the floor at Buckley already with the initial instantiations. SSC is confident that it [FORGE] will run on time to support the satellite constellation."
Additional milestones are yet to come. Davis indicated that a version of the data processing application will be introduced this summer, followed by an interim version of the command-and-control software called NIO for risk mitigation. The final version, to be constructed by BAE, will be built progressively, not as a massive release.
"We are not employing a monolithic software approach, but rather an agile one," Davis stated. "The capability, depending on the sequencing, could be released a couple of times a year or once a year."
The commercial sector employs agile software development, such as with phone apps, where updates are regularly rolled out. Similarly, the Space Development Agency is planning to refresh its low-Earth-orbit satellite fleet every two years using a comparable strategy. The Space Rapid Capabilities Office is also pursuing an iterative approach for a program called Rapid Resilient Command and Control, providing command software for orbital warfare.
Kelly Hammett, head of the Space Rapid Capabilities Office, has plans to "approach nontraditional small business software developers, who excel in this field, instead of the traditional defense primes who have faced challenges in providing ground software on a predetermined baseline."
Like FORGE, the Rapid Resilient Command and Control (R2C2) program will be iterative, aiming to display cloud-based and agile software development that delivers periodically. This process provides functioning software within 14 months, followed by consecutive versions.
However, the true challenge lies in integrating multiple systems to collaborate effectively. As Hammett put it, "We are building a variety of components. We need to link them strategically, and that's why we introduced R2C2, but that's just a piece. We're taking care of the tactical C2 for orbital warfare. We've got other programs out of SSC for the operational C2. And then we've got all the other mission areas."
Both FORGE and R2C2 demonstrate a trajectory toward an adaptable ground control architecture, where resilience and scalability serve as critical pillars in the Space Force's modernization efforts.
- The Space Force is transitioning to a more flexible, modular, and swift development approach for software used in commanding and controlling missile warning and orbital warfare operations, emulating modern commercial guidelines.
- Davis explained that FORGE, a "system of systems, program of programs," includes a mission data processing application and relay ground stations, ensuring heightened cybersecurity and resilience for the ground system.
- The Government Accountability Office cautioned that FORGE needs to reach maturity by the end of fiscal 2026 to meet the Next-Gen OPIR Polar launch schedule.
- Kelly Hammett, head of the Space Rapid Capabilities Office, plans to approach nontraditional small business software developers to provide command software for orbital warfare, instead of traditional defense primes.
- Both FORGE and the Rapid Resilient Command and Control (R2C2) program will be iterative, aiming to display cloud-based and agile software development, providing functioning software within a certain timeframe and subsequent versions.
