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The Air Force unveiled three significant space
initiatives at the 33rd Space Symposium on April 4, 2017.
During a keynote address, General Jay Raymond, commander
of Air Force Space Command, announced a new office for space
at the Air Staff, a new warfighting construct for space, and
improvements in space battle management command and control.
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(U.S. Air Force "Space Warfighting Construct" graphic by Serma Oeura, 2017)
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Raymond highlighted the 35-year history of AFSPC, its
Airmen, and how the command has evolved from its creation
during the Cold War, its first combat engagement during
Operation Desert Storm, and the current space threats our
nation faces today. He noted the successful test of an
anti-satellite weapon by the Chinese in 2007, which created
more than 3,000 pieces of space debris, and marked the
beginning of a new era for space.
“That event marked
the third phase of this command – the modern era for
military space, where space is a joint warfighting domain,”
said Raymond. “Just like air, land and sea, space is a
warfighting domain and the Airmen of AFSPC are joint
warfighters.”
Raymond introduced the Space
Warfighting Construct, which combines transformational and
warfighting-focused command initiatives to maintain space
superiority in the 21st century.
This new era in
space is defined by a contested, degraded and
operationally-limited environment. Raymond spoke about how
the command is evolving to ensure our space capabilities are
available for the warfighter in this new environment.
“Building the command and integrating the capabilities
of the command into joint military operations has positioned
us to meet the multi-domain challenges we currently face,”
said Raymond. “When our battlefield Airmen go into the fight
today they do so with air, space, and cyberspace in their
quiver. Space and cyber are the DNA of multi-domain
integration.”
Another major space initiative
announced was the development of a Battle Management Command
and Control (BMC2) system. “Our space warfighting CONOPS
relies on the ability to command and control across multiple
domains,” said Raymond.
Space BMC2 will enable
operational commanders to simultaneously maneuver space
assets and direct defensive operations against multiple
threats while maintaining space effects for the warfighter.
“We activated the Joint Interagency Combined Space
Operations Center (JICSpOC), now the National Space Defense
Center, to build unity of effort between the DOD and the
intelligence community to effectively command and control in
a contested domain, which ultimately provides us the
capability to be able to fight and win a war if it extends
into space” said Raymond.
“Let me be clear with
everybody in this room, we are not interested in getting in
that fight. Nobody wins that fight, but we will be prepared
for it,” said the general.
In addition to the new
Space Warfighting Construct and Space BMC2 program, Raymond
also announced the creation of a new 3-star deputy chief of
staff for space at the Air Force Headquarters in Washington.
“Just like we have a deputy chief of staff for
operations and intelligence, we’re going to have a deputy
chief of staff for space. They will come to work every day
focused on making sure we can organize, train, and equip our
forces to meet the ever increasing challenges in the space
domain.”
Raymond summed up his remarks by reiterating
the importance of the mission of AFSPC.
“There is no
way we could do what we do today without the incredible
efforts of this command,” said the general. “Our joint
warfighting partners need to have space all the time. That’s
not a given anymore, we’re hard at work to make sure that it
is,” added Raymond. “And it is going to take the support of
government, industry, and the support of our international
partners.”
By U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Christopher Merian
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2017
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