Glendon Frye, Ed.D.’s Post

In the wake of the Space Force’s creation in 2019, the Army made some key decisions, Atkinson explained in a recent Army Magazine article. In a move that might seem counterintuitive for a service looking to expand its space presence, the Army transferred its satellite operations and theater missile-warning units to the fledgling Space Force. This was less about relinquishing capability and more about streamlining operations as the Space Force has the expertise to manage these assets. Atkinson pointed out that the creation of new all-domain formations across the Army was another critical move. These units, designed to operate seamlessly across land, air, sea, space and cyberspace, represent the Army’s response to the dynamic space environment and growing adversary use of space for military purposes. A telling sign is where it’s choosing to deploy these new capabilities. Atkinson said the majority of the Army’s space forces are now being assigned to military commands in the Indo-Pacific and Europe, a move designed to better integrate with regional combatant commands and strengthen relationships with allies.

These articles raise crucial points about the Army's interest in expanding space control capabilities and the distribution of funding among different branches for China-focused conflicts. It's essential to consider the unfilled requirements needed to support specific service operations and the challenges of funding all tasked missions appropriately with limited budgets. Furthermore, while the USSF is currently tasked as lead for space “integration,” shouldnt discussions be focused on enabling joint commands, like U.S. Space Command, to define integration and set requirements for joint space architecture? Combatant Commands exist for enhancing cross-domain missions and functions to conduct joint operations. Combatant Commands also play a vital role in emphasizing collaboration, defining capability gaps, and influencing service budgets to meet their operational needs.

The U.S. Space Force activated its sixth service component, United States Space Forces – Japan at Yokota Air Base yesterday, adding more space capabilities to the Indo-Pacific region. Space Forces - Japan will plan, integrate, and execute Space Force and space security efforts for USFJ in close coordination with Japanese counterparts to enable cross-component space combat capabilities for joint warfighters. #PartnerToWin https://lnkd.in/eXQazZJe

An important step for cross-component collaboration in the Indo-Pacific region!

Lt. Col. Joseph Mroszczyk, commander of the U.S. Army’s 1st Multi-Domain Effects Battalion at Joint Base Lewis-McChord: "The Army has to be able to mitigate risks from dependencies on space while seizing the initiative to exploit adversaries’ use of space … we rely on space for intelligence, missile warning, weather, positioning, navigation and timing; all of those different mission areas support every aspect of how we operate. And so we need professionals to help focus on how we can integrate those capabilities better and on how to address vulnerabilities."

Galbreath and Reeves provide an interesting hypothesis in a new OpED that the path to jointness is to limit joint capabilities. This comes on the heels of their first OpED, where the first Guardian to repudiate their argument in public was none other than General Stephen Whiting. Of note, General Whiting is the senior United States Space Force officer serving in a joint assignment as the current Commander of the U.S. Space Command. I would argue that he is the most credible subject matter expert on joint spacepower. When he publicly disagrees with your position, you might want to reassess your underlying assumptions. In a SpaceNews article, “Whiting noted that U.S. Space Command benefits from the expertise of all the branches of the military, and pointed out that the Army needs space expertise for maneuver warfare.” This position also happens to be the joint position shared by the Department of Defense, the United States Space Force, the Services, and the Combatant Commands. The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies United States Department of Defense Space Force Association Center for Space Policy & Strategy Space Policy Group Breaking Defense SpaceNews NewSpace Nexus The Air and Space Power Association (ASPA) Air & Space Forces Magazine

The seventh Global Positioning System III space vehicle we designed and built, launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. GPS III SV07 joins the United States Space Force's ongoing modernization of the GPS constellation and was the first-ever Rapid Response Trailblazer mission to demonstrate speedy operational readiness for national security launches. Learn more about the essential positioning, navigation and timing GPS provides for military and civilian operations around the world: https://lmt.co/4ft2oc9

Plenty to like in this analysis. Key theme: Space should be foundationally joint, if we do it right. We ain't there yet, but good signs of progress. Throughout the time the U.S. Space Force and Space Systems Command were standing up, I posted regarding the imperative that DoD MILDEPs preserve essential equities and HQs-level capacities, expertise and engagements across the range of space warfighting capabilities, both offensive and defensive. From my perch as a naval professional, I employed a few ideas: 1. Don't give up the ship. The Naval force has longstanding and abiding critical equities in space. Depending how you read history, the Navy damned near invented the employment of space for expeditionary warfighting and maneuver. The notion that we would blindly outsource space capabilities to USSF/SSC, was (and is), in my way of thinking, a bridge too far - and not necessary. 2. We have space capabilities because we have a naval force (and air, ground and special operations forces, by extension); it'll be important in the future that we remember "supported/supporting" doctrine and concepts, as USSF/SSC competes for a larger piece of DoD budget. Memo to USSF/SSC: In almost every important context, you are supporting. Your priorities, and the details of what you build, and how you operate it (jointly) must acknowledge that. From these two ideas, other important drivers of Doctrine, Organization, Training, Materiel/Systems, Leadership, Personnel and Facilities derive for each MILDEP to consider. To be fair, even after five years, it's too early to chastise the Army, or any of the MILDEPs, for hedging bets and positioning for reasonable control over their own destinies in space. USSF/SSC still have a fair amount of proving and demonstrating to do, before the most seamless, robust and reliable fully-integrated joint-model-of-everything in space can be counted on. As I read the linked article, I don't so much think Army needs to rein in its own aspirations and aggressive pursuit of world class space capabilities. Likewise, the other MILDEPs need to keep their thinking caps on, and consider their own man/train/equip and concomitant resource investment strategies over years, even as all MILDEPs work collaboratively and thoughtfully with USSF/SSC to advance the worthy cause of jointness. The idea of the wickedly ruthless, persistent, engaged and demanding customer comes to mind. Another key message hiding between the lines in the article, is that USSF/SSC need to step it up at least a few notches and pick up the pace. As I've posted in other contexts, commercial space is racing ahead, in some capability areas largely without us, and the reasons we used to invoke for going slow, and taking 10 to 15 years to field "perfect" capabilities in space, no longer apply. You want jointness and "supported/supporting" to work for the entire joint force, all warfighting domains, and for the nation, you need to be world class in all that you do.

🇺🇸 AFA Conference Day 1 Recap: USAF Addresses Global Challenges and Modernization Key takeaways from Day 1 (Monday) of the Air & Space Forces Association Conference: 1. 🎙️ Sec. Kendall: "We face immediate strategic challenges, not just future ones." - Urged passage of $850B 2025 DoD Budget - Highlighted underfunding of Space Force 2. 🛩️ CSAF Gen Allvin: Preparing for evolving global competition - Refocusing on large-scale exercises - Enhancing force responsiveness and readiness 3. 🚀 Modernization priorities: - Balancing capabilities under frozen budgets - Prioritizing speed and adaptability - Focusing on integrated systems over individual platforms 4. 🛰️ Space Force adapting with smaller, faster-to-deploy satellites Day 1’s Overall theme: USAF rapidly modernizing to address pacing threats amid budget constraints. #AirForce #SpaceForce #Defense #NationalSecurity