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- Addressed

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- Partially Addressed

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- Not Addressed

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- Consolidated or Other

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- Pending

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- Closed-Partially Addressed

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- Closed-Not Addressed

Year Identified: 2017

Area Number: 4

Area Type: Fragmentation, Overlap & Duplication

Action:

Establish formal mechanisms for coordination and collaboration between the Department of Defense (DOD) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for future space-based environmental monitoring planning efforts.

Progress:

DOD has formalized its coordination with NOAA, as GAO recommended in March 2016. In January 2017, the Air Force and NOAA signed a memorandum of agreement that provides for the parties to establish annexes for interagency acquisitions or other support on space-based environmental monitoring (SBEM) efforts. In November 2017, the Air Force and NOAA signed an annex to that agreement specifying that both parties exchange information with one another and collaborate on a plan for collecting SBEM data. Specifically, the annex arranges for engineering analysis, initial studies, and site surveys to plan for the possible relocation of a NOAA weather satellite over the Indian Ocean, an area of concern for DOD’s SBEM needs. The annex specifies roles and responsibilities for DOD and NOAA, which include ensuring that each agency remains informed of pertinent program events and communications, participating in a working group and readiness reviews, and developing an operating concept for mission operations. The annex also specifies that the Air Force will reimburse NOAA for costs related to analysis, planning activities, and ground station development. In December 2017, an Air Force official said another annex, which would address the Air Force’s interest in assessing data from the Indian National Satellite System for DOD’s needs, is in its preliminary stages. 

These efforts do not cover collaboration between NOAA and DOD entities outside of the Air Force, but NOAA is engaged in a separate memorandum of agreement with the Navy. This agreement includes four annexes that support coordination on SBEM activities: three signed in September 2014 and November 2017 involve sharing SBEM data, and a fourth signed in October 2017 provides for exchanging information on recent developments and trends in SBEM technologies. In November 2017, NOAA reported that it and the Navy are exploring potential future activities of mutual interest, such as the possibility of a follow-on to WindSat, a satellite that collects data on wind speed and direction at the ocean’s surface but that is approaching its end of life. Also in November 2017, the Air Force and NOAA responded to section 1607 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017, which directs the agencies to (1) jointly establish mechanisms to collaborate and coordinate in defining roles and responsibilities to carry out SBEM activities and plan for future nongovernmental SBEM capabilities and (2) submit a report to appropriate congressional committees on the mechanisms established. Their report highlights the memorandums of understanding and annexes discussed above as examples of collaboration and coordination mechanisms they have established. These actions should help NOAA and DOD reduce the risk of gaps in weather satellite capabilities.