Obama To Support Defense, Space Technology

Obama To Support Defense, Space Technology
By Michael Bruno | Aviation Week | Submitted by Bruce Gagnon | http://space4peace.blogspot.com

President-elect Barack Obama, the next commander in chief starting Jan. 20, 2009, is expected to emphasize technological investments under national security and space exploration efforts at the expense - albeit still uncertain - of the Defense Department's bigger-ticket acquisition efforts.

The Illinois Democratic senator has declared his support for technological innovation across the federal government, but in particular, Obama's campaign says he advocates unmanned aircraft, electronic warfare capabilities and cyber security among several other national security efforts. The tech emphasis aligns with Obama's promises to buttress the military's personnel ranks while wrangling control of the DOD's problem-plagued acquisition portfolio.

"We must adapt and make tradeoffs among systems originally designed for the Cold War and those required for current and future challenges," the Obama camp says on its campaign Web site. "We need greater investment in advanced technology ranging from the revolutionary, like unmanned aerial vehicles and electronic warfare capabilities, to systems like the C-17 cargo and KC-X air refueling aircraft - which may not be glamorous to politicians, but are the backbone of our future ability to extend global power."

The tech industry is, not surprisingly, responding positively.

"You are correct that this is an important moment during which our nation faces daunting challenges - our prosperity and security are plainly at stake," Information Technology Association of America chief Phil Bond wrote Obama in a letter Nov. 5. "America's technology industry stands ready to work with you and to support you in the difficult work ahead."

Yet, the technological push is eyed far beyond just national security and into outer space. Obama during the late summer appeared to shift his support toward the Bush Exploration Vision goal of returning astronauts to the moon by 2020, noting that he "endorses the goal" of a lunar return "as a precursor in an orderly progression to missions to more distant destinations, including Mars."

He further states that he wants the Constellation program to have the flexibility to explore other sites such as asteroids and Lagrangian points. Major space program supporters have raised asteroids as a much better stepping stone to Mars than the moon.

Still, while neither Obama nor rival Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) openly expressed support for development of a moon base, both voiced strong support for science operations on the International Space Station.

Nevertheless, while the Democrats assert their willingness to develop, buy and equip the U.S. military with the best weapons and technology, the platform of Obama and Vice President-elect Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Del.) still paints a person-over-program picture. An Obama administration will "place our troops before CEOs, reining in military outsourcing and restoring honesty, openness, and economic good sense to our defense contracting and budgeting processes."