WASHINGTON, March 23 (UPI) -- A GOP congressman Friday expressed concern about the continuing high costs of U.S. space systems.
"We seem to repeat the same concerns about cost growth and program delays year after year," Rep. Terry Everett, R-Ala., a senior Republican on the Armed Services Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, said in a statement for a subcommittee hearing on the Bush administration's 2008 budget request for military space activities.
Everett expressed concern about the lack of progress in cutting the costs of U.S. military space acquisitions.
"A (Government Accountability Office) study commissioned last year by this subcommittee found that cost growth is due to, 'the tendency to start programs before knowing whether requirements can be achieved within available resources,'" he said.
Everett asked U.S. Under Secretary of the Air Force, Ronald Sega, "Have we turned the corner on (such) programs?"
"For newer programs ... what confidence do you have that the acquisition strategies are executable, the technology can be matured, and the resource requirements are adequately understood?" the congressman asked.
Everett also said he wanted to examine "the implementation status of the Operationally Responsive Space program office, which was a key legislative provision for this subcommittee in last year's bill."
He asked Donald Kerr, the director of the National Reconnaissance Office about the his "efforts to improve its space acquisitions."
"The concerns I outlined for Dr. Sega are equally applicable to your organization," Everett said.
