The House Appropriations Committee approved its version of the Fiscal Year 2012 (FY12) Department of Defense Appropriations Act (H.R.2219) on June 14, cutting funds from the next-generation GPS space (GPS III) and operational control (OCX) segments, while adding money to the current GPS IIF satellite allocation.
The House Appropriations Committee approved its version of the Fiscal Year 2012 (FY12) Department of Defense Appropriations Act (H.R.2219) on June 14, cutting funds from the next-generation GPS space (GPS III) and operational control (OCX) segments, while adding money to the current GPS IIF satellite allocation.
Funds for the second-phase GPS IIIB satellite development program were reduced $50 million from the level requested by President Obama, from $463.081 million to $413.081 million, due to “excess to need.” The OCX funding was reduced $48 million from the president’s request, from $390.889 million down to $342.889 million due to “slow execution,” according to the committee report accompanying the bill.
FY12 funding for GPS IIF satellites currently being built by Boeing was increased $40 million for “production support,” which will alleviate the cost overruns that the program has experienced. Boeing recently offered to continue production of IIF satellites beyond the 12 space vehicles being produced under the current contract with the Air Force.
The committee also rescinded $122.5 million in current year, FY 2011, procurement for GPS III to reflect recent program and schedule changes.
