"We'll have multi-form factor balloons operating at various altitudes, executing different mission sets, ultimately increasing the target problem set and dilemma for our adversaries ...," said Col. Donald Brooks, commandant of the Army's Space and Missile Defense Center of Excellence.
Col. Mark Cobos, head of SMDC's 1st Space Brigade, told Breaking Defense in an Oct. 7 interview that the command and the brigade are already "making progress" in creating allied partnerships — starting with the United Kingdom.
Knowing when to build on commercial systems and when to develop something new can be the difference between parity and information dominance.
"We're very much complimentary to the Space Force and to the other services, but we truly do see space as that critical component to set the theater well in advance of phase one operations," Col. Donald Brooks, commandant of the Space and Missile Defense Center of Excellence, told Breaking Defense. "When the first round is shot, the missile is shot, space needs to be there months, if not years, in advance to help set those conditions."
"As we look out into 2030, we know from all the Army warfighting concepts that we have to grow space capability, and we have to grow air defense missiles," SMD Commander Lt. Gen. Sean Gainey said.