AFSPC takes over COMSATCOM procurement role from DISA

By Courtney Albon / December 12, 2018 at 2:55 PM

Air Force Space Command announced today it has assumed authority for commercial satellite communications services procurement -- a role traditionally filled by the Defense Information Systems Agency.

Congress in the Fiscal Year 2018 National Defense Authorization Act directed the agencies to make the change by Dec. 1. DISA will retain some administrative control of COMSATCOM procurement personnel until October 2019, according to a Dec. 12 press release. The release notes that full operational capability should be reached by October 2020.

"The phased approach from initial to full operational capability maintains the expertise of the personnel in DISA's SATCOM organizations today and limits the impact to personnel and operations during the transition," the release states. "AFSPC and DISA have been working closely together over the last year to ensure a smooth transfer of responsibilities, while maintaining timely and effective provision of COMSATCOM services for the joint force during and after the transition."

The service has been experimenting with new ways to buy COMSATCOM services over the last few years and recently conducted an analysis of alternatives to consider new options for relying on commercial SATCOM providers.

200902