Pentagon's deputy secretary temporarily gets lead space advisory job

Defense News: WASHINGTON — The deputy defense secretary will step temporarily into the role of the Pentagon’s lead coordinator for space activities, according to a memo obtained by Defense News, but questions remain on who will ultimately oversee national security space programs.

Congress in the fiscal 2018 National Defense Authorization Cct eliminated the position of principal Defense Department space adviser, or PDSA, and gave Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan 30 days to delegate those responsibilities elsewhere.

For the time being, Shanahan will assume all duties of the PDSA role “as an interim measure” until an official is permanently tasked with the job, said Shanahan in a Jan. 17 memo first reported by Space News.

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