Brian Bradley
NS&D Monitor
9/4/15
The Air Force will not release a draft concept of operations (CONOPS) for the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent at the weapon program’s third industry day scheduled for late September, but plans to distribute copies to defense contractors in October or November, Weapons Complex Morning Briefing has learned. “[T]he Air Force will not release the AFGSC Concept of Operations for GBSD during the Industry Day at Hill as it is still in development,” 377th Air Base Wing spokesman Eric Elliott wrote in an email on Wednesday. Several industry officials had expected the CONOPS to be released this month, after the Air Force delayed the document’s distribution from the originally anticipated spring 2015 time frame. Air Force leadership could “discuss” the CONOPS at the industry day, set for Sept. 24-25 at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, a service official said, but industry officials eager to read the long-awaited document must wait another month or two. In July, industry officials said they expected to see the CONOPS “as early as” September, after the document was not released last spring, as had been previously anticipated.
The late release of the draft CONOPS has taken a toll on contractors who say they are investing in a weapon system that hitherto lacks a solid design plan. “You don’t have a concept of operations, defined and on the street, so that’s challenging, yet you want contractors to take their stockholders’ money and put a lot of it in to design solutions that have yet to be solidified,” one contractor said. According to an Aug. 20 FedBizOpps announcement, the Air Force expects to release a request for information for the program before this month’s industry day, with draft versions of the capabilities development document, force development concept, weapon system specification, and statement of work during or soon after the event. The Air Force did not respond to a request for comment.
The Air Force through GBSD intends to replace the Minuteman 3’s “entire flight system,” retain the silo basing mode while recapitalizing the ground facilities, and implement a new command and control system, according to the announcement. The Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center’s System Program Office estimates GBSD will cost $62.3 billion from fiscal 2015-2044 for development, procurement and military construction of 642 missiles, 242 of which will presumably remain on nondeployed standby to ensure the Air Force complies with the New START accord.
