Advocating for space on Capitol Hill.

Summary

T-Minus Space Daily: Advocating for Space on Capitol Hill

Published on January 25, 2025, by N2K Networks

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Introduction

In the latest episode of T-Minus Space Daily, host Maria Varmazes engages in a compelling conversation with John Neal, the Executive Director of the Space Industry Council at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. This episode delves into the intricate relationship between space advocacy and politics, particularly within the corridors of Capitol Hill. John Neal shares his extensive background, the challenges of advocating for the space industry, and his vision for the future of space policy in the United States.

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John Neal’s Professional Journey

John Neal provides an insightful overview of his diverse career path, highlighting the various roles that have equipped him to support space companies on Capitol Hill.

John Neal [02:22]: "After undergrad, I was in ROTC, Navy ROTC at Notre Dame, and spent some time in the Pacific and the Middle East as a Naval intelligence officer... Following that, I went into the private sector at some various software companies and then after 9/11 went to the FBI as a special agent for about 10 years."

He emphasizes how each pivot—from military intelligence to the FBI, and eventually to government affairs—has uniquely positioned him to lead the Chamber’s space policy program, representing around 70 companies across the aerospace sector.

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Day-to-Day Responsibilities

Maria inquires about John’s daily activities, to which he outlines his multifaceted role in supporting member companies.

John Neal [04:56]: "Interpreting it, but the day-to-day, I think what we think about the Chamber is how can we help our companies in three areas..."

He identifies three primary focuses:

1. Legislative Advocacy: Monitoring and influencing Capitol Hill policies affecting the space industry.
2. International Relations: Facilitating access to foreign markets and advocating for international partnerships.
3. Business Development: Connecting space companies with potential customers and stakeholders across various economic sectors.

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Advocacy on Capitol Hill

Maria probes deeper into the nature of advocacy work, seeking to understand its practical aspects.

John Neal [07:00]: "From a Hill staff perspective... compared to the FBI, you're on the receiving end and you get exposed to so many different issue sets up there."

John contrasts his experiences on Capitol Hill with his previous role in the FBI, emphasizing the collaborative and information-rich environment of legislative advocacy. He underscores the importance of building consensus and negotiating to advance legislation that benefits the space industry and, by extension, the American populace.

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Perceptions and Common Feedback

Discussing common perceptions, John highlights the necessity of looking beyond political affiliations to find common ground.

John Neal [08:30]: "You need to look beyond just that sort of external layer... Business tends to be agnostic when it comes to politics."

He advocates for uniting the space industry under shared business interests, irrespective of political leanings, to effectively advocate for policies that support industry growth and innovation.

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Leadership Style

When asked about his leadership approach, John describes himself as a listener and a team-oriented leader who fosters growth and development.

John Neal [09:38]: "A listener, a person who wants to get the best out of my people... my goal at the end of the day is for them to come away better prepared for the next step in their life journey."

He draws parallels between his leadership in professional settings and his role as a youth basketball coach, emphasizing teamwork, personal development, and collective success.

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Handling Adversity and Rejection

Maria explores how John manages setbacks, a common challenge in advocacy roles.

John Neal [11:45]: "Any good salesperson will tell you you have to accept and be comfortable with rejection... resilience is about picking up and moving on to the next opportunity."

John underscores the importance of resilience, persistence, and learning from setbacks to maintain momentum in advocacy efforts.

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Passion for the Space Industry

John shares his enthusiasm for the evolving space landscape, highlighting several areas of excitement.

John Neal [15:57]: "We're going to see commercial space stations begin to take shape in low Earth orbit... satellite communication to bridge the digital divide."

He points to advancements in launch capabilities, commercial space stations, Earth observation analytics, and satellite communications as key developments poised to transform the industry and society.

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Future of Space Policy Under the Trump 2.0 Administration

Looking ahead, John anticipates significant policy changes that could enhance the partnership between government and the private sector.

John Neal [18:25]: "How do we partner with government to get it into government’s hands... acquisition and procurement reform is crucial."

He advocates for streamlining federal acquisition processes, reducing compliance burdens, and leveraging commercial capabilities to complement government efforts, thereby fostering a more dynamic and responsive space sector.

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Call to Action for the Space Industry

John calls upon industry stakeholders to unite in advocating for necessary reforms and to support acquisition and procurement changes.

John Neal [20:21]: "We need to all band together collectively... there’s a lot of common ground... make this a better system."

He emphasizes the importance of collaboration across both large enterprises and startups to address common challenges and advance the industry’s interests effectively.

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Advice for Aspiring Space Professionals

Concluding the interview, John offers valuable advice for individuals aspiring to enter or advance within the space industry.

John Neal [21:36]: "There's a lot to learn and being diverse... even if you don't start off in space, that's where you want to get to maybe three to five years from now."

He encourages embracing diverse experiences, being persistent, and recognizing that a wide range of skills and backgrounds can contribute to the success and innovation within the space sector.

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Closing Remarks

In his final words, John Neal reiterates the Chamber of Commerce’s commitment to supporting space companies and invites listeners to engage with their initiatives.

John Neal [23:45]: "If we can be supportive to you and your business, your idea, don't hesitate to reach out to me or to the broader Chamber."

Maria wraps up the episode, emphasizing the importance of the insights shared and expressing gratitude for John’s participation.

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Conclusion

This episode of T-Minus Space Daily offers a comprehensive look into the complexities of advocating for the space industry within the political landscape of Capitol Hill. John Neal’s experiences and insights provide valuable guidance for industry professionals, policymakers, and enthusiasts alike, underscoring the critical interplay between policy, business development, and innovation in driving the future of space exploration and commercialization.

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Notable Quotes:

• John Neal [02:22]: "All that experience that you collect will be super valuable to whatever company in the space industry you get to when you get there."

• John Neal [15:57]: "I'm very excited because the companies... we're on the cusp of a lot of change."

• John Neal [20:21]: "We need to all band together collectively."

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Resources:

• For more information, visit N2K Networks.

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Transcript

[Maria Varmazes]

You're listening to the N2K space network.

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[Maria Varmazes]

Space and politics go hand in hand. You just have to look at the influence that space has on the new U.S. administration to see just how things are changing. So how does one advocate for the space industry in politically charged Washington, D.C. well, we're about to find out. Welcome to T minus Deep space for all men 2k networks. Maria I'm Maria Varmazes. My guest today is John Neal and John is the Executive Director of the Space Industry council at the U.S. chamber of Commerce. In our discussion, John walks me through how his many career pivots have put him in the best position to support space companies on Capitol Hill.

[John Neal]

After undergrad, I was in rotc, Navy ROTC at Notre Dame, and spent some time in the Pacific in the Middle east as a Naval intelligence officer. My last job in the Navy was at the Pentagon where I worked on several projects with nro. So I got my sort of first taste of space and some of our national capabilities there. Following that, I went into the private sector at some various software companies and then after 911 went to the FBI and was a special agent there for about 10 years with the Bureau. And all that time, political science major, was always interested in the intersection of policy and business. And so following the FBI, spent some time on Capitol Hill as a staffer and then went back to the private sector where I worked on government affairs and sort of sales and business development roles. And one of those jobs, I spent some time at Planet Labs As a sales rep in their government organization, I really saw, you know, all the potential that a company in the space industry presents to provide incredible, incredible technology and capabilities to the US government. And what a challenge it is to get those capabilities into, you know, in my case I was selling to the Marine Corps, the Navy and law enforcement. So into those operators hands that you get. With my background, I was so passionate about, you know, helping, you know, those people that, you know, I had been one of those, you know, people in the past. So I sort of took that experience really when this opportunity at the Chamber presented itself about two and a half years ago, it really has informed how I think about my role today. Leading the space policy program at the Chamber where we represent maybe 70 companies in the aerospace sector, both traditional aerospace and new space companies. Everything from the big primes down to venture funded startups representing the entire spectrum of the industry.

[Maria Varmazes]

Wow. Okay. That is a really cool journey. Thank you for telling me about that, John. Yeah, it's really interesting hearing the way that people work through different fascinating turns and what we learn from each stage in our career and where it brought you to where you are today. That's really fascinating. So thank you. John, can you tell me a bit about, I'm sure every day is different, but a bit about what your day to day looks like right now?

[John Neal]

Yeah, I mean right now obviously with Washington, so much change happening, maybe not.

[Maria Varmazes]

Right this second, right now, tracking that.

[John Neal]

Interpreting it, but, but the day to day, I think what we think about the chambers, how can we help our companies in three areas. The first is the traditional DC policy, What's going on in Capitol Hill from a legislative perspective? And then what are the agencies, the bodies that regulate the space industry thinking about from a regulatory perspective? And how does that impact our members ability to do business and grow their companies and create jobs? So I'm thinking about that. I'm also thinking because of the Chamber's history being here, an advocate for American business, the relations it has, relationships it has with foreign governments, allied partners. How can we help our companies get access to foreign markets and then be an advocate for our international partners with companies looking to do business with US companies? And then thirdly, again from my experience as a salesperson, from experience as an FBI agent thinking about building relationships with people and as it pertains to the space industry, how can I connect our companies with their customers, stakeholders in other areas of the economy that stand to benefit from the products and services the space industry provides? The Chamber represents companies across the entire economy. Some of Them use space now. Some of them may do so in the future. So I think helping our companies expand those relationships, build relationships with potential new partners is something I think about a lot, whether that's from a business perspective or new relationships on Capitol Hill and the federal government.

[Maria Varmazes]

When you are working on Capitol Hill, I'm so curious. Again, I know things right now are very much changing, but I guess the question is, what does that sound like? This is an area where I know so little, and it seems like almost like a black box to me from the outside. So I'm sure, again, everything's very different depending on who you're talking to. But I'm just curious, like, sort of what that advocacy sounds like.

[John Neal]

Yeah. From a Keppel Hill staff perspective, I mean, it was a great job and a great experience. You know, it was one of the few jobs, you know, when I think about my life as an FBI agent versus working on the Hill staff. In the FBI, you're trying to get information from people, or many jobs. Right. You're trying to get information from people. Whereas Capitol Hill flooded with people who want to give you information. That's kind of nice. You're on that receiving end and you get exposed to so many different issue sets up there. It's a great place to get started or think about, again, how politics impacts, whether it's business, culture, whatever it may be. It's a tremendous experience. The people up there are very passionate about helping the American people. I really enjoyed the policy work. The politics can be challenging sometimes, but I think that the exposure you get to different stakeholder groups, different interests, and how you sort of build consensus and find ways to compromise to get legislation, passive benefits, American people, sort of. Those negotiating skills you get on the Hill are really valuable.

[Maria Varmazes]

I was gonna say the persuasion game and building those relationships, 100%. I'm curious, are there maybe perceptions that you have heard that surprised you or that are very common that, you know, you have worked to change, or maybe common feedback that you get that was surprising? I'm just curious if anything stands out on that.

[John Neal]

Yeah, I think trying to find what really drives people, I think, you know, especially on the Hill. Right. One of the first questions, or even in Washington, you get asked Democrat, Republican. Right. And I think you need to look beyond just that sort of external layer, because I think if you spend time, again, building relationships, which I think in Washington probably we don't spend as much time as we used to for a variety of reasons. I think you can find common ground with a lot of people and I think that's one of the great things about being at the Chamber here, because we're representing business, and business tends to be agnostic when it comes to politics. So you need to find that common ground, whether it's Republicans or Democrats. Advance the interests of American companies, because at the end of the day, they impact everyone's lives, you know, at the kitchen table.

[Maria Varmazes]

Absolutely. So given the different roles that you've had, the different organizations you've worked with, I want to get a little bit into maybe your leadership style, because this is me just trying to learn more about you as a person. How would you describe your leadership style?

[John Neal]

Yeah, definitely one. A listener, a person who wants to get the best out of my people, and that's thinking about, you know, what are their strengths and how can I help them sort of showcase their strengths, while at the same time, you know, if we identify something that we all need to work on, we're all trying to improve, how can I, at the same time, help that person improve their weaknesses? You know, my goal at the end of the day when, you know, a person leaves my team is, you know, they're coming away better, you know, prepared for that next step in their life journey. So I think I'm a team guy. So I come from a. You know, when I think about leadership, it's generally through a lens of team sports. And there's so much joy that I've gotten through success in a team environment, playing sports. And, you know, I apply that to my professional life here at the chamber, as well as, you know, family life. I'm a coach of a couple different youth basketball teams. I think everyone contributing to a. To a common goal and the success that comes to get can come from that. I think there's no better feeling or perspective you can take, you know, in various aspects of your life.

[Maria Varmazes]

I really appreciate that. And my daughter's very interested in basketball, so that's one of the reasons my husband and I are. Are really encouraging her to. To pursue it is. I think those lessons are. Those come through really well.

[John Neal]

Great, great, great. Social. You know, there's obviously the athletic aspect, but the social interaction. Right. So many kids today, my kids. Right. The screen, you get them away from the screen time and get them into the gym.

[Maria Varmazes]

Absolutely. I completely agree with you. Given, again, the nature of the different roles that you've had and the work that you do, I'm sure you are often up against incredible difficulties. And this. I feel like I'm doing a job interview. I promise it's not like that no worries at all. I'm so curious about when you hit those roadblocks which are inevitable adversities of any kind, how do you handle that?

[John Neal]

Yeah, I think, and I think being a salesperson really helped me because I think any good salesperson will tell you you have to accept and be comfortable with rejection. And being told no. You might be told 90 times out of 100, but 10 times out of 100 can be a very good success rate. And you have to keep, I think what you learn is just to be again, comfortable with it and know that when we talk about resilience, right, the buzzword of the day, picking up and moving on to the next opportunity, to the next discussion. And hopefully there's something you can learn from that rejection. Maybe that's not always the case, but not taking it personally and not letting it beat you down too much. We're all competitive people and we all hate to lose, but you can't allow that to affect your outlook. And you have to pick up the pieces and move on to the next opportunity because that next opportunity is going to come along if you keep trying. The persistence, I think is really, really important.

[Maria Varmazes]

Foreign we'll be right back after this quick break.

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[Maria Varmazes]

Absolutely. And yeah, I really appreciate what you're saying also about being resilient in the face of rejection. Because that is a hard, it's hard lesson. Really hard lesson.

[John Neal]

It really is. It's not fun. But it happens to all of us. And you know, there's no shame in that. I think it's, how do you rebound from that rejection or that loss that really, you know, I think at the end of the day that's what you can be really proud of.

[Maria Varmazes]

Absolutely. All right, I'm gonna switch it back to space again. I love asking folks like yourself about what you're really interested in. What's got you jazzed about what's going on in the space industry right now? It doesn't have to be like right today, right now, just in general, because I know things are always changing and what's got you interested?

[John Neal]

Yeah, I mean for me it's, it's, I think it's two things on the positive side, you know, I mean this administration in its previous form did a lot on space, you know, creating the space for us, a lot of policy. So looking forward to seeing what their plans are for space and supporting the industry. I mean, obviously, you know, a big, big promoters of the US industry as a whole. So very excited to see what the future holds. And I'm very excited, you know, because the companies, I think we're on the cusp of a lot of change, right. We all know about launch cadence, you know, exploding and we'll have another record setting launch here this year. But we're, I think we'll put more meat on the bone about NASA's plans about the International Space Station. And I think, you know, in the next couple of years we're going to see commercial space stations begin to take shape in low Earth orbit. All the capabilities that Earth observation is providing to disaster response, geopolitical insights. I think it will be really exciting now is sort of the analytics catch up and we get better products that are more usable into the hands of people who really need that data to make decisions. The ability of satellite communication to bridge the digital divide and really provide connectivity to people in the areas that have never had that before. So I think there's a tremendous amount of things going on. In addition to Artemis and exploration, what's going to happen in Cislunar and Lunar. It's going to be a really interesting couple of years here. And that's what I'm really excited about. And also what I think a lot about is how can we get the government to sort of match its rhetoric around the value that they see in the space industry and using commercial space products and technologies. How do we match that with actual budget dollars and funding that goes to these capabilities? I think that's we see that here at the Chamber as a gap between sort of the language and what we hear at speeches and conferences and the actual contracts that are being let. And we want to see that gap closed.

[Maria Varmazes]

It's a fascinating point. Okay, so getting your crystal ball out a little bit with Trump 2.0 administration, what changes would you like to see in space policy or what might you be anticipating?

[John Neal]

Yeah, I mean, I think it will be, you know, again, will acquisition policy change in the terms of other things in the federal acquisition regulation of the far that we can streamline? Right. Whether it's everything from working with DoD on security clearances to less compliance overhead burden on all our companies. Will we see sort of that pivot from a, hey, we're NASA or we're the nro, we're going to build a capability ourselves to okay, well, let's go out and see what's in the market, what can get us 80% of the solution and bring that in and complement. Right. You know, certain capabilities we want to be government built and run. But I think we've seen a lot of examples over the past year or two where, you know, there's commercial capabilities that can provide a lot of performance that's valuable to the US Government. So will that be used? I think, you know, we talked over the past couple years, it's been a debate in Washington around mission authorization. So can we, you know, we've got multiple regulators of the space industry. Is that the best thing going forward or should we rethink things here? I think what we say at the Chamber is space is not different. Right. From a business perspective or a legal perspective than any other domain. We don't have to create special new regulations necessarily, but it is an opportunity as well to think of, again, space. I think we've sort of cobbled together this regulatory framework. Is it the best thing considering how space is becoming more and more important?

[Maria Varmazes]

Yeah, that's a great point. If you had a call to action for the space industry, which I recognize is a very broad ask, but if you did, I'm just curious, what would you be urging everyone or colleagues in the space industry to be thinking about right now, especially at this time of change?

[John Neal]

Yeah, for sure. I think it's really around acquisition reform. Again, how do we. There's so much tremendous capability being developed by space companies and the broader technology ecosystem. How do we partner with government to get it into government's hands to make them more capable? And I think a lot of that is around acquisition and procurement reform. And we need to all band together collectively. I think there is a somewhat divide, right, between the bigger companies, the traditional companies, and sort of these new, let's say, startups. Every company I talk to faces a lot of the same challenges, particularly when it comes to compliance and overhead burden. I think there's a lot of common ground there that we can go talk to the folks on Capitol Hill, the folks in the administration, about, hey, can we make this a better system? You'll get more value out of it.

[Maria Varmazes]

That's another great point. Thank you, John. I really appreciate this. This is amazing. Great insights here. I always like to ask if you have advice for people who are coming up in the industry or maybe looking to make a move parallel upward wherever, given your incredible variations and roles that you've done. I'm so curious what your advice is, especially. I'm thinking maybe for folks that you manage, the advice you tend to give people. Yeah.

[John Neal]

Yeah, no, thanks, Maria, Great question. I think, you know, for me is what I found, you know, especially being in the space where. And I haven't been here very long, but people are so passionate, right? You know, the people that I've worked with at companies or here at the Chamber, they're so passionate about, you know, just space and what they're doing. And obviously they want their companies to succeed. So it's great. You're starting from a group of people who really love to come to work every day and work on these really challenging problems that, you know, space we face. What I would tell people is, you know, there's a lot to learn and being diverse. You know, you could go work at a software company or go do a variety of different things, go work on Capitol Hill here. All your experiences will benefit that company. You may work in. In the space industry, I think the companies that are doing really well have a diverse group of people who have experiences maybe outside of space that they brought into that company. I think running a company and succeeding as a company, there's a lot of complex things that all have to work together. Some of them have to do with a knowledge of space and the engineering and the science around it, but also just a nuts and human resources, government affairs, marketing. There's a lot of talents from outside the industry. That can be brought to bear, that I think make it stronger over time. So even if you don't start off in space, that's where you want to get to maybe three to five years from now. Continue to be persistent and know that all that experience that you collect will be super valuable to whatever company in the space industry you get to when you get there.

[Maria Varmazes]

That's great advice, and I think it also speaks volumes that the space industry seems ever more receptive to that outside expertise that people are bringing to bear, which is a wonderful trend to be seeing. I think the timing is right, so it's really wonderful to see John again. I thank you for your time and I just want to make sure if there's anything that I missed that you wanted to share, anything you want to leave our audience with, the floor is yours. So anything?

[John Neal]

No. Thanks, Mary. This is really fun. Again, big fan of the podcast. I learned a lot from all your interviews. I would just say again, you know, the Chamber of Commerce, we represent member companies big and small across the whole country, across the entire economy. If we can be supportive to you and your business, your idea, you know, don't hesitate to reach out to me or to the broader chamber. Would love to connect with you.

[Maria Varmazes]

That's it for T Minus Deep Space, brought to you by N2K CyberWire. We'd love to know what you think of this podcast. You can email [e-mail] with your feedback or submit the survey in the show notes. Your feedback ensures that we deliver the information that keeps you a step ahead in the rapidly changing space industry. T Minus Deep Space is produced by Alice Carruth. Our associate producer is Liz Stokes. We're mixed by Elliot Peltzman and Trey Hester with original music by Elliot Peltzman. Our executive producer is Jennifer Ibin. Our executive editor is Brandon Karpf. Simone Petrella is our president. Peter Kilpe is our publisher. And I'm your host, Maria Varmasis. Thanks for listening. We'll see you next time.

[John Neal]

SA foreign.

[Dave]

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