Denver, Colorado Springs The head of the U.S. Space Force issued a warning, saying that the country needs to take advantage of new technology advancements if it hopes to win a war with its enemies in the future.
During the Space Foundation’s annual Space Symposium in Colorado Springs on Wednesday, April 10, Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, Chief of Space Operations for the U.S. Space Force, stressed the importance of the service’s ability to collaborate with private industry to quickly develop and deploy new space-based capabilities.
“Strengthening the service’s relationship with commercial industry is the best and fastest way to do that,” according to Saltzman. “The Space Force must harness the benefits of technological innovation and emerging capabilities if we’re going to be able to out-compete our competitors, or Space Force will lose, the Joint Force will lose and the U.S. will lose.
As the United States enters a new era of “great power competition” with China and Russia as its primary adversaries, there is an urgent need for rapid innovation in space, according to Saltzman, who cited Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine as evidence of the country’s need to bolster its space presence.
As Russia has reminded us, war can return quickly and in unexpected ways,” Saltzman said during his speech, adding that “cooperation among industry leaders and allies has proven particularly effective in challenging Russia’s efforts in Ukraine, However, such collaboration is not new. “Throughout our nation’s history,” Saltzman stated, “military success has hinged on support from commercial industry.
The Chief of Space Operations cited the U.S. Navy’s cooperation with the coal industry during the Spanish-American War and the U.S. Air Force’s partnership with commercial satellite operators Inmarsat and Intelsat to increase its military communications capability. Saltzman stated that Space Force is looking to the future and trying to upgrade its capabilities through growing and expanding commercial collaborations, using those past examples.
Today (April 10) the military unveiled a new Commercial Space Strategy paper as part of its attempt to upgrade Space Force’s capabilities. This will enable it better interface with business partners and boost America’s competitive advantage in space, “Strengthen interoperability between government commercial solutions without stifling commercial sector innovation, speed, or scale,” according to Saltzman, is what the document is meant to do.
Four main areas of focus are identified in the document: risk management, operational and technical integration, collaborative transparency, and secure the future. According to Lt. Gen. Shawn Bratton, deputy chief of Space Operations, Strategy, Plans, Programs, and Requirements, these will enable the service to create “more resilient and combat-capable architectures while deploying them faster, in greater numbers, and at a lower cost,
Modernizing Space Force’s technological capabilities will remain difficult despite this new approach because military financing is contingent on Congress and political whims. Moreover, Saltzman pointed out that “there is never enough money to go around,ย Prior to Saltzman, Secretary of the U.S. Air Force Frank Kendall highlighted the service’s dissatisfaction with the financial process and the delays it can bring in terms of procuring and developing new technology in a separate speech at Space Symposium.
We have forfeited five years, or a third of the time that could have been used, over the past 15 years while operating under continuing resolutions and awaiting the arrival of fresh financing and authorizations, according to Kendall. “It’s tough to win a race when you give the adversary such an advantage.
Kendall continued, “We’ve been held back by the system as a whole.