Gen. Stephen Whiting, commander of US Space Command, today revealed his "Apollo Maneuvers" exercise concept involving satellite movements, responsive launch and "spectrum maneuvering."
One area where China has "moved breathtakingly fast is the fielding of a suite of counter space weapons," Gen. Stephen Whiting told Breaking Defense in his only press interview on a trip through Australia.
The Sixth Domain is not defined by geography. It’s a new kind of conflict in which autonomy and networked systems allow thousand-dollar consumer electronics to destroy multi-million-dollar conventional weapons systems.
"The US and France recently conducted our first ever bilateral rendezvous and proximity operation to demonstrate combined capabilities in space in the vicinity of a strategic competitor spacecraft," SPACECOM head Gen. Stephen Whiting said today.
US Space Command recently updated its commercial integration strategy, that includes advocating for the Space Force to buy technologies deemed useful for operators, said Gen. Stephen Whiting, SPACECOM commander.
The new Space Systems Command effort is focused on establishing integrated C2 networks for four classified weapon systems chosen by the head of US Space Command Gen. Stephen Whiting.
SPACECOM's releases today characterize Operation Olympic Defender as "a multinational effort that focuses to optimize space operations, improve mission assurance, enhance resilience of space-based systems, synchronize efforts to strengthen deterrence against hostile actors and reduce the spread of debris orbiting the Earth."
Government can’t stop to update systems, so modernization has to happen without interruptions.
Space domain awareness is one of the mission areas that SPACECOM Commander Gen. Stephen Whiting said currently needs improved command and control capabilities.
“[W]e've heard proactively from the Chinese twice on two things they wanted to talk to us about with space safety related issues,” said SPACECOM Commander Gen. Stephen Whiting. “We think that is very positive ... ”
SpRCO head Kelly Hammett told Breaking Defense in an interview that the "operational integration" process involves "tens of force generation elements with POAMS [plans of action and milestones] that take years to close everything out."
Rumors already are flying about who will take over the vice slot at Space Force when Gen. David "DT" Thompson retires next year, with current bets on Lt. Gen. Michael Guetlein, head of Space Systems Command.
Breaking Defense Europe will launch May 4 with Tim Martin and Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo as co-editors.
Sources tell Breaking Defense that two names — Lt. Gen. Stephen Whiting and Lt. Gen. John Shaw — have been sent to the White House for potential nomination as the new Space Force chief.
It remains to be seen if the creation of a new Joint Force Space Component Command will help or hurt the chain of command for military space.
Lt. Gen. Stephen Whiting, head of Space Operations Command, said that the Space Force is now following 35,000 space objects, a 22% jump in only the last two years.
SMC is "working on innovative relationships with, believe it or not, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, and some other places you wouldn't think of as traditional spacefaring nations," says Gen. DT Thompson, Space Force vice.