Military leaders, industry experts share perspectives on growing importance of space operations

Published Sept. 18, 2024
By Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. (AFNS) -- Leaders representing the U.S. Space Force and U.S. Navy shared their perspectives alongside industry experts on the growing importance of space operations and the challenges of integrating space into broader military strategies during a panel at the Air and Space Force Association’s Air, Space and Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, Sept. 16.

Air Marshal Paul Godfrey, assistant chief of Space Operations for Future Concepts and Partnerships, opened the discussion by referencing the war in Ukraine as a case study. He noted that the first “shot” in this conflict was a cyberattack against a space capability, crippling thousands of modems across Europe and severely disrupting Ukrainian communications. The conflict showcased the inextricable links between the space and cyber domains, with attacks targeting communication infrastructures that depend heavily on satellite networks.

“I think there's a two-way street where the other services need to understand the criticality of space in everything that they are doing on a daily basis,” Godfrey said.

Rear Adm. Heidi Berg, deputy commander, Fleet Cyber Command and deputy commander, Navy Space Command, followed Godfrey by emphasizing how essential space is to naval operations.

“Almost everything we do over the horizon, whether it's assured command and control, whether it's long-range fires, even our long-range logistics is dependent on space,” she said.

For the Navy, space has always been an integral part of warfare, but recent advancements demand an even tighter integration of space, cyber, cryptology and electronic warfare.

Berg highlighted the Navy's forward-operating posture, noting that 70% of the Earth's surface is covered by oceans, and much of the Navy's operational territory does not require national or territorial waters for maneuvering.

"We play the away game," Berg said. She stressed that space operations must be globally integrated, with close coordination between various combatant commands and allied forces to ensure operational success.

Both Godfrey and Berg underscored the importance of international cooperation in space. Godfrey pointed to the Combined Space Operations initiatives, which brings together 10 nations.

“Almost all of those nations have started a relatively late military space journey,” Godfrey said. He emphasized that they are all working together to create a more integrated and capable allied space presence.

He explained that allies and partners need to be in the room for the discussion to understand the terrestrial and combatant command priorities.

Berg echoed this sentiment noting that partnerships with the commercial space industry is equally vital.

“You’ve got to build the ecosystem where you have the information flow that’s coming in, so you understand how the adversaries are operating across multiple domains,” she said.

The panel also delved into the issue of counterspace capabilities, with Godfrey addressing the delicate nature of space warfare.

“I think we have got to a point now where we’re calling it a warfighting domain because of its criticality to any warfighting in any other domain as well,” Godfrey said. “So, I think most nations out there are now wondering, how would you prosecute this [with space]? How would you degrade the adversary’s space capability? And how do you defend and protect your own space capability?”

Godfrey emphasized that nations must be responsible in how they conduct space operations, advocating for "reversible effects" to avoid widespread orbital debris that fouls the domain for all users.

“I think collectively, we all need to [have] policy discussions,” he said.

Berg, meanwhile, highlighted the need for credible counterspace capabilities to deter adversaries like People’s Republic of China and Russia, both of which are developing significant counterspace technologies. She compared the current state of space warfare to cyber warfare a decade ago, noting that the lessons learned from integrating cyberspace into military operations should guide how space capabilities are approached across the joint force.

As space continues to play a critical role in national security and military operations, the Space Force is accelerating its transformation as a warfighting service, purpose-built to achieve space superiority and deter conflict in Great Power Competition.