Thursday, May 21, 2015

Space Command Moving Quickly to Uphold US Space Supremacy

Space Command Moving Quickly to Uphold US Space Supremacy: In organizations around the world, "studying" a problem is often just a way of postponing a difficult decision. One of my key takeaways from last month's Space Symposium in Colorado Springs is that the U.S. Air Force Space Command wants to focus less on conducting studies of "what" will best serve the DoD's global communications requirements, and more on executing "how" the command can best meet those needs.

This change in direction is being fueled by factors beyond tighter budgets. General John Hyten, the new Commander of Air Force Space Command (AFSPC), has taken charge at a time when American supremacy in space in being challenged as never before.

Space technology is proliferating, with many nations now having the capability to launch and operate satellites. The same missile technology that can launch a satellite into space can also be used to destroy the spacecraft of adversaries. Ground stations that communicate with satellites can also be used to jam spacecraft operated by other nations.