GAO Report – National Security Space: DOD Has Opportunities to Improve Its Use of Commercial Data and Related Services
The Department of Defense uses equipment—like satellites—to protect the U.S. from foreign adversaries both at home and abroad. This equipment provides DOD with data, such as an enemy’s location, via coordinates. DOD also relies on companies in the commercial space sector to provide data about activities on Earth and in space. In this report, GAO found that some officials are missing opportunities to use this data because of licensing costs, perceived use restrictions, and concerns about long-term data access.
