The nominee to lead the Pentagon’s space policy wants to streamline collaboration between the Space Force and NRO.
Marc Berkowitz, who is nominated to be the assistant secretary of defense for space policy, considered different ways to structure the org chart for national security space in a book chapter published this year. One idea included having the Air Force under secretary also serve as director of the NRO, to foster a closer partnership between the two organizations—an idea that won praise from Sen. Angus King (I-ME).
“We should be open to all options to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of national security space capabilities,” Berkowitz told the Senate Armed Services Committee during a confirmation hearing on Tuesday.
Here are other highlights of Berkowitz’ testimony:
High ground: Berkowitz, who previously served as the assistant deputy under secretary of defense for space policy, said his top priority (if confirmed) would be making sure the US would remain a dominant space power—despite rivals, such as China, working to “weaponize” the domain by developing counterspace weapons.
“The threat is dramatically different than it was during the Cold War,” he said.
Golden Dome: Berkowitz, who also spent time in industry as a VP at Lockheed Martin, talked about the importance of competition in the industry, since it forces companies to “hone their offers, and make sure they’re truly providing the best capabilities.”
He talked specifically about companies competing to build the Golden Dome missile defense system, in response to a question from Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL). Berkowitz also noted that his nomination was for a policy position, in which he would not have direct oversight of acquisition.
“I think we should incentivize all companies—traditional companies, new entrants, startups—to compete for contracts as part of the Golden Dome,” he said.
Spectrum fight: Berkowitz committed to be a “staunch advocate” for ensuring the Pentagon has the spectrum it needs for national security space missions, amid the push to free up spectrum for commercial operations.
Blast off: Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) asked Berkowitz how he would prioritize resilient launch operations—specifically highlighting how the NASA Wallops Flight Facility in Kaine’s state offered an alternative to Cape Canaveral-area launches.
“I would work to modernize our launch infrastructure, in particular to make sure we have the capacity—as well as the resilience—to meet the department’s needs,” Berkowitz said.
