PEO Missiles and Space

PEO Missiles and Space
Unit name	PEO Missiles and Space
Country	United States
Branch	Department of the Army
Type	Acquisition
Role	Acquisition and lifecycle management for missile and space systems

PEO Missiles and Space is a United States Army Program Executive Office responsible for acquisition, fielding, sustainment, and lifecycle management of tactical and theater missile and space-related systems. It manages programs spanning precision fires, air and missile defense, tactical missile systems, and space resilience, coordinating with defense laboratories, services, and industry partners to deliver materiel readiness. The office integrates activities across requirements, engineering, test, and contracting communities to transition technology into deployed capabilities.

Overview and Mission

PEO Missiles and Space executes acquisition portfolios aligned with priorities set by the Department of Defense, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Secretary of the Army, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, and Chief of Staff of the Army. Its mission emphasizes delivering assured precision fires and space-enabled effects for Combatant Commands such as United States Central Command, United States Indo-Pacific Command, United States European Command, and United States Southern Command. The organization supports doctrine and capability roadmaps developed by Army Futures Command, Training and Doctrine Command, and capability developers linked to Program Executive Office for Combat Support & Combat Service Support and Program Executive Office Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors.

Organizational Structure and Leadership

The PEO aligns subordinate program offices and directorates under a Program Executive Officer appointed by the Secretary of the Army (Manpower and Reserve Affairs), working with a Deputy PEO, Chief Engineer, and Director of Business Operations. It coordinates with service acquisition authorities such as the Defense Acquisition University, Army Materiel Command, United States Army Combined Arms Center, and the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics and Technology). Oversight and governance involve the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, Director, Operational Test and Evaluation, and congressional committees including the United States House Committee on Armed Services and United States Senate Committee on Armed Services. Interagency collaboration includes National Reconnaissance Office, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and United States Space Force elements, while international cooperation engages allies such as North Atlantic Treaty Organization, United Kingdom Ministry of Defence, Australian Department of Defence, Canadian Armed Forces, and NATO Allied Command Transformation.

Major Programs and Capabilities

Major programs managed include tactical and theater missile systems, precision strike munitions, air and missile defense interceptors, rocket artillery, and space-related payloads. Notable capability areas intersect with systems developed or fielded alongside M142 HIMARS, M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System, Patriot missile system, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, Avenger air defense system, National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System, Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System, and precision munitions families such as Joint Direct Attack Munition, Small Diameter Bomb, Excalibur (projectile). Space-relevant efforts link to payload integration for satellite communications like Wideband Global SATCOM, timing and navigation augmentations associated with Global Positioning System, and resilient space situational awareness with contributions from Space Development Agency, United States Strategic Command, and U.S. Space Command. International cooperative programs and foreign military sales interface with partners like Raytheon Technologies, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, and MBDA.

Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation

RDT&E activities draw on laboratories and test centers such as U.S. Army Research Laboratory, Redstone Arsenal, White Sands Missile Range, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Yuma Proving Ground, and Fort Sill. Collaboration spans federally funded research centers including Applied Physics Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Test planning and operational test coordinate with Operational Test Command and Director, Operational Test and Evaluation; developmental test includes instrumentation from Naval Surface Warfare Center and flight testing in joint venues with United States Air Force Test Center. Science and technology partnerships involve Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Army Futures Command's Combat Capabilities Development Command, and university research centers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Michigan, and Johns Hopkins University.

Procurement, Contracting, and Industry Partnerships

Acquisition strategies use competitive and sole-source contracting vehicles administered through Defense Contract Management Agency and contracting offices aligned with Federal Acquisition Regulation guidance and directives from Assistant Secretary of the Army for Procurement. Industry engagement includes prime contractors such as Lockheed Martin Corporation, Raytheon Missiles & Defense, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Boeing, General Dynamics Land Systems, and subsystem suppliers like Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, Thales Group, and L3Harris Technologies. Contract types include undefinitized contract actions, firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-incentive-fee, and other instruments managed under U.S. Code Title 10 provisions; export controls follow International Traffic in Arms Regulations and coordination with Defense Security Cooperation Agency for foreign military sales.

Operational Deployments and Support

Fielding and sustainment activities support brigade combat teams, fires brigades, air defense artillery units, and joint task forces operating in theaters associated with Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, humanitarian missions like Operation Tomodachi, and theater deterrence operations in Europe and the Indo-Pacific. Logistics and sustainment integrate with Army Sustainment Command, Depot Maintenance Activity, and life-cycle support partners including Defense Logistics Agency and regional maintenance depots. Training integration leverages National Training Center, Joint Readiness Training Center, and combined exercises such as Exercise Defender-Europe, RIMPAC, and Vigilant Shield.

Policy, Budget, and Future Initiatives

Policy alignment follows directives from National Defense Strategy, National Security Strategy, and budgetary cycles managed through Office of Management and Budget and congressional authorization via the National Defense Authorization Act. Future initiatives emphasize long-range precision fires, integrated air and missile defense modernization, hypersonics collaboration with Hypersonics Centers of Excellence, and space resilience supporting Joint Force Space Component Command. Investment priorities coordinate with Army Modernization Strategy, the Long-Range Precision Fires Cross-Functional Team, and capability roadmaps from Army Futures Command to address pacing challenges from near-peer competitors like People's Republic of China and Russian Federation while maintaining interoperability with NATO and allied partners.

Category:United States Army acquisition