

Frank Kendall, the Pentagon’s top acquisition official, spoke to the Washington Space Business Roundtable Feb. 23, offering insight into how the U.S. Defense Department is approaching some of the military space community’s long-standing concerns.

Kendall is the undersecretary of defense for acquisitions, technology and logistics, and as such is a key player in shaping the Air Force’s spending on space.

In a wide-ranging speech, Kendall discussed the need for assured access to space, how the Pentagon plans to end its reliance on Russian rocket engines and whether importing those RD-180 engines violate U.S. sanctions.

He explained how the Defense Department plans to better understand what commercial satellite providers and the Pentagon can work more closely in the coming years.

He also touched on the future of two of the Air Force’s most valuable satellite programs: the Space Based Infrared System used for missile warning, and the Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellites used for protected communication.

The video presented here was produced by SpaceNews with support from Lockheed Martin.

