If there is any silver lining in the rampant delays affecting the U.S. military's most complex space programs, it might be the fact that they are giving Defense Department planners a bigger time cushion for critical programmatic decisions that are difficult — if not impossible — to reverse. While this does not come close to offsetting the cost growth and deferral of capability that come with lengthy program delays, it does give Pentagon officials the opportunity to develop advanced capabilities that otherwise would be too risky to consider in their space system replacement strategies. The phenomenon is evident on the U.S. Air Force's Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) missile warning satellites as well as its Advanced Extremely High Frequency (EHF) and Transformational Satellite communications programs.
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