Space

           Information Technology 21                                               
       The budget request included no funds for Information Technology 21  
   (IT 21).                                                                
       The Senate amendment would authorize an increase of $157.2 million  
   for IT 21. Of this amount $147.9 would be for procurement and           
   installation of IT 21 related equipment and $9.3 million would be for   
   related operations and maintenance funding. These funds would provide an
   initial impetus to the IT 21 initiative and assist the Navy to achieve  
   its goal of a fully outfitted fleet by the year 2000.                   
    The House bill would authorize the budget request.                     
       The conferees agree to authorize a total IT 21 procurement increase 
   of $58.0 million as follows:                                            
    (1) JMCIS Afloat $6.0 million;                                         
    (2) Naval Tactical Command Support System $31.0 million;               
    (3) Ship Communications Automation $4.0 million;                       
    (4) SATCOM Ship Terminals (Space) $2.0 million;                        
    (5) Naval Shore Communications $12.0 million; and                      
    (6) Information Systems Security Program $3.0 million                  
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           Defense satellite communications system                                 
       The budget request included $87.6 million for defense satellite     
   communications system requirements.                                     
    The House bill and Senate amendment would authorize the budget request.
       The conferees note the budget request included funding for          
   acceleration of the production of a universal modem system. The         
   conferees understand that required testing for this system will not be  
   complete until late 1999. Therefore, the conferees agree to reduce      
   program funding by $2.0 million.                                        
           Satellite terminals                                                     
       The budget request included $7.3 million for satellite communication
   terminals.                                                              
    The House bill and Senate amendment would authorize the budget request.
       The conferees note the savings achieved from a joint Army/Air Force 
   procurement in 1997. The conferees believe that these savings should be 
   used to offset funding requirements for fiscal year 1998. Therefore, the
   conferees agree to reduce program funding by $1.2 million.              
           NAVSTAR global positioning system                                       
       The budget request included $6.8 million for NAVSTAR Global         
   Positioning System (GPS) equipment.                                     
    The House bill and Senate amendment would authorize the budget request.
       The conferees have been informed that both price and quantities     
   budgeted for NAVSTAR GPS equipment were reduced in 1997. Additionally,  
   the conferees understand that program management reductions have also 
   yielded savings. The conferees believe these savings should be used to 
   offset funding requirements for fiscal year 1998. Therefore, the conferees 
   agree to reduce funding for this program by $1.2 million.                                           
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                   TITLE II--RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, TEST, AND EVALUATION          
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           Military Spaceplane                                                     
       The budget request included no funds for the Military Spaceplane    
   technology program.                                                     
       The House bill would authorize an increase of $15.0 million in PE   
   63302F for the Military Spaceplane program.                             
       The Senate amendment would authorize an increase of $10.0 million in
   PE 63401F for the Military Spaceplane program.                          
       The conferees agree to authorize an increase of $10.0 million for   
   the Military Spaceplane program in PE 63401F.                           
       Although the National Space Launch Policy assigns to NASA the lead  
   for reusable launch vehicle development, the Department of Defense has  
   been participating in such activities for many years. The Air Force has 
   developed a military spaceplane program to complement NASA's efforts    
   while focusing on specific military requirements and applications, a    
   responsibility that does not reside with NASA. The Commander-in-Chief of
   U.S. Space Command is in the process of identifying military            
   requirements for such a program and the Air Force has established a     
   program office and a new program element to manage this activity. The   
   Air Force is also working to include funding in the Future Years Defense
   Program for this effort. The conferees do not view these actions as     
   duplicative of NASA's work on reusable launch vehicles.                 
       The conferees believe that the Department of Defense should begin to
   define a military spaceplane concept that meets legitimate military     
   requirements in the future while exploiting technological progress made 
   in NASA's reusable launch vehicle program. The conferees direct the     
   Secretary of Defense to provide a report describing the status of this  
   effort to the congressional defense committees by February 15, 1998.    
           Solar thermionics orbital transfer vehicle                              
       The budget request included no funds for the solar thermionics      
   orbital transfer vehicle program.                                       
       The House bill would authorize an increase of $20.0 million in PE   
   63401F for the solar thermionics orbital transfer vehicle program.      
       The Senate amendment would authorize an increase of $10.0 million   
   for this program.                                                       
       The conferees agree to authorize an increase of $7.5 million in PE  
   63401F for the solar thermionics orbital transfer vehicle.              
       The conferees have supported thermionics technology development for 
   space applications. The solar powered orbital transfer vehicle has been 
   identified by the Air Force as a Third Millennium initiative. This      
   program combines thermionic technology for electricity production and   
   thermal propulsion which can be used to move spacecraft to higher or new
   orbits.    
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                               LEGISLATIVE PROVISIONS ADOPTED                     
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               SUBTITLE B--PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS, RESTRICTIONS, AND LIMITATIONS    
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           Kinetic energy tactical anti-satellite technology program (sec. 214)    
       The Senate amendment contained a provision (sec. 218) that would    
   authorize $80.0 million in PE 63892D to continue the Kinetic Energy     
   Tactical Anti-Satellite (KE ASAT) program in fiscal year 1998. The      
   provision would also prohibit the obligation of funds in PE 65104D,     
   relating to technical studies and analyses, until the funds appropriated
   for the KE ASAT program for fiscal year 1998 have been released to the  
   KE ASAT program manager.                                                
    The House bill contained no similar provision.                         
       The House recedes with an amendment that would authorize $37.5      
   million for the KE ASAT program for fiscal year 1998.                   
       The conferees understand that the administration maintains that     
   there is no military requirement for the KE ASAT program and that the   
   Department of Defense does not support it. However, there appears to be 
   some confusion regarding the Department's support for some degree of KE 
   ASAT technology development. The Department of Defense's recent Space   
   Control Architecture study appears to endorse continued development of  
   KE ASAT technology, and the National Space Policy appears to call for   
   the development of active counter-satellite capabilities.               
       In light of these factors, the conferees direct the Secretary of    
   Defense to submit a report to the congressional defense committees by   
   February 15, 1998, to include the following: (1) a determination as to  
   whether the National Space Policy and DOD Space Policy establish        
   requirements for the development of active counter-satellite            
   capabilities; (2) a summary of the DOD Space Control Architecture study,
   including any updates to the study, and the study's findings and        
   recommendations regarding the KE ASAT program; and (3) a determination  
   by the Secretary as to whether the Department of Defense should develop 
   active counter-satellite capabilities and, if so, whether the Secretary 
   intends to sustain some level of KE ASAT technology development. The    
   report shall be submitted in an unclassified form and, if necessary, in 
   a classified form.                                                      
       The conferees note that fiscal year 1997 funds remain available for 
   the KE ASAT program. The conferees continue to support the development  
   of KE ASAT technology.                                                  
           Micro-satellite technology development program (sec. 215)               
       The Senate amendment contained a provision (sec. 219) that would    
   authorize $50.0 million in PE 63401F for the Clementine 2 program. The  
   provision would also prohibit the obligation of more than $35.0 million 
   of funds authorized in PE 64480F for the Global Positioning System Block
   IIF satellite system until the Secretary of Defense certifies to        
   Congress that the Secretary has made available for obligation funds     
   appropriated for fiscal year 1998 for the Clementine 2 Micro-Satellite  
   program.                                                                
    The House bill contained no similar provision.                         
       The House recedes with an amendment that would require: (1) that the
   Clementine 2 program be restructured into a micro-satellite technology  
   development program that supports a range of space mission areas; and   
   (2) the Secretary of Defense to provide a report on the restructured    
   micro-satellite program to the congressional defense committees.        
       The conferees note that the Air Force and U.S. Space Command have   
   supported micro-satellite development activities and that the Air Force 
   has established and provided a limited amount of funding for such a     
   program in the Future Years Defense Program. The conferees continue to  
   support innovative technology demonstrations designed to test key       
   technologies in space and urge the Secretary of Defense to              
   ensure that the restructured micro-satellite technology       
   program continues such efforts. The conferees note that the Air Force,  
   in conjunction with the office of the Deputy Undersecretary of Defense  
   for Space, has developed a range of options for such a program. The     
   conferees believe that funds appropriated for the Clementine 2 program  
   in prior years should be used to support the restructured               
   micro-satellite program.  
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                                TITLE X--GENERAL PROVISIONS                       
                        ITEMS OF SPECIAL INTEREST                        
           Global Positioning System alternate master control station              
       The Global Positioning System (GPS) has become or soon will be fully
   integrated into most facets of U.S. military planning and operational   
   capabilities. GPS has also been integrated significantly into civil and 
   commercial navigation planning. As such, the conferees recognize the    
   expanding importance of GPS as a national asset, one that is critical to
   U.S. national security and economic interests. The conferees are aware  
   of potential command and control vulnerabilities associated with the GPS
   master control station at Falcon Air Force Base, Colorado. The conferees
   understand that GPS is the only critical national satellite system that 
   does not have an adequate, separate, and secure backup control station. 
   The conferees believe that the Department of Defense and the Air Force  
   should pursue, as an urgent priority, a secure backup GPS system        
   operations facility that is geographically separate from the existing   
   facility.                                                               
       Therefore, the conferees direct the Secretary of the Air Force to   
   proceed in fiscal year 1998 with the development of an alternate master 
   control station at a location outside the Colorado Springs area. The    
   conferees expect this new alternate master control station to be        
   operational by fiscal year 2001. The conferees further direct the       
   Secretary of the Air Force to submit a report to the congressional      
   defense committees on this issue not later than February 15, 1998.    
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                                  SUBTITLE G--OTHER MATTERS                       
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           Sustainment and operation of the Global Positioning System (sec.   1074)
       The Senate amendment contained a provision (sec. 1064) that would   
   endorse and enact into law the presidential policy on the sustainment   
   and operation of the Global Positioning System (GPS) issued in March    
   1996.                                                                   
    The House bill contained no similar provision.                         
       The House recedes with an amendment that would provide that the     
   Interagency GPS Executive Board, established pursuant to the            
   presidential GPS policy, be the forum for interagency review of any     
   proposed international agreement on the civil use of GPS. The amendment 
   would also direct the Secretary of Defense not to accept any restriction
   on the GPS system proposed by the head of any other department or agency
   in the exercise of that official's regulatory authority that would      
   adversely affect the military potential of GPS.                         
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                  TITLE XXVII--EXPIRATION AND EXTENSION OF AUTHORIZATIONS         
                               LEGISLATIVE PROVISIONS ADOPTED                     
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                      Extension of availability of funds for construction of       
           relocatable over-the-horizon radar, Naval Station Roosevelt Roads,      
           Puerto Rico (sec. 2706)                                                 
       The House bill contained a provision (sec. 2706) that would provide 
   for an extension of authority to construct a relocatable                
   over-the-horizon radar at Naval Station Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico    
   authorized by the Defense Appropriations Act, 1995 (Public Law 103 335) 
   until October 1, 1998, or the date of the enactment of the Act          
   authorizing funds for military construction for fiscal year 1999,       
   whichever is later.                                                     
    The Senate amendment contained a similar provision (sec. 2409).        
    The Senate recedes with a technical amendment.                         
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