SpOC AFA conference recap: Great Power Competition, joint exercises, Space Force Generation

Published Sept. 20, 2024
By Dave Grim

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. (AFNS) -- Lt. Gen. David N. Miller, Jr., Space Operations Command’s commander and Chief Master Sgt. Caleb Lloyd, SpOC senior enlisted leader, updated thousands of participants on SpOC’s progress toward meeting rising threats at the Air and Space Forces Association’s annual Air, Space and Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Sept. 19.

U.S. Space Force Lt. Gen. David N. Miller, Jr., Commander of Space Operations Command, speaks at a panel the Air & Space Forces Association’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, Sept. 18, 2024. Miller joined three other senior leaders from the Department of the Air Force for a panel discussion entitled “Exercising for Great Power Competition.” The Air, Space & Cyber Conference provides military development, facilitates sharing of emerging requirements and technologies, and helps fuel connections that advance the cause of air and space power. (U.S. Space Force photo by Dave Grim)

Miller joined leaders from multiple Department of the Air Force organizations for a panel entitled, “Exercising for Great Power Competition.” Miller brought the Guardian’s perspective to the panel, which also included Air Force Gen. Kevin Schneider, Pacific Air Forces commander, Air Force Gen. John D. Lamontagne, commander of Air Mobility Command and Air Force Lt. Gen. John P. Healy, chief of Air Force Reserve and commander of Air Force Reserve Command.

“This is our asymmetric advantage,” Miller said, talking about increased synchronization with the other branches of service and allies, “The United States does not fight alone. If we don't have embedded integration from the tactical level all the way through the strategic level, you're not going to surge awesome at the end. We've got to baseline that capability from day one.”

Miller explained that SpOC is stepping up training exercises with different branches of service and international partners, an effort that ties directly to SpOC’s role as force provider for both United States Space Command and joint combatant commands around the globe.

In the near future, SpOC will host a sourcing and prioritization conference where representatives of all the organizations who need space forces for operations or training exercises will be able to get on the calendar. Once requests are accepted, SpOC will be able to project and prioritize that support for the next few years.

Miller was also asked about the progress SpOC is making toward integrating space mission deltas into diverse, joint training exercises.

“There's actually places where this is already happening, where the tactical units themselves have the initiative,” Miller said. “They've built time into their calendar, and they're beginning to build out their specific training and force generation plans tied to outcomes that they need across these platforms, whether that's space, cyber, special operations, air, sea or land.”

That forward-looking approach is at the heart of the Space Force Generation (SPAFORGEN) model. All SpOC mission deltas began unified implementation of the new model July 1st. SPAFORGEN mandates semi-annual training periods for crews of space operators, allowing them to participate in exercises they might not be able to take part in when working shifts for day-to-day operations.

Miller explained that SpOC unit commanders are being empowered to not participate in exercises that they don’t view as readiness-generating.

That same day, Lloyd participated in a think tank event that covered similar topics, SPAFORGEN included.

“From a space operations community perspective, we talked about how we generate capability and our force generation model, which ultimately is focused on developing people,” Lloyd said. “The major change in that whole model is not the day-to-day operations, necessarily. It's about how [we] take time out of their day-to-day and put them in a scenario where they have to fight through a threat that's real.”

U.S. Space Force Chief Master Sgt. Caleb Lloyd, Senior Enlisted Leader of Space Operations Command, participates in a think tank event at the Air & Space Forces Association’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, Sept. 18, 2024. The Air, Space & Cyber Conference provides professional military development, facilitates sharing of emerging requirements and technologies, and helps fuel connections that advance the cause of air and space power. (U.S. Space Force photo by Dave Grim)

Guardians participate in those training exercises during the “Ready” phase of the SPAFORGEN cycle, during which space operators focus on training instead of doing regular operations. This time allows them to work through scenarios as a team, allowing them to improve teamwork and problem solving in a training environment that is low threat, as opposed to learning during real-world operations.

Although the Space Force will soon turn five years old, it is still new compared to the other branches of service. Lloyd said Guardian culture is still developing, but that it’s not being done from the top down.

“We shape climate, not necessarily culture,” Lloyd said, referring to SpOC leadership. “That will evolve as we define our roles and responsibilities.” Lloyd said he’s seeing considerable growth among enlisted Guardians, who he says are much more mindful of threats than they have been in the past. He also explained SpOC intends to hand more responsibility to enlisted Guardians in the future, making them the primary warfighters of the Space Force.

Lloyd also stressed the importance of Guardians to the rest of the armed forces and allies.

“I would say that we are arguably the most joint of the services, because every other service is dependent on the capabilities, both to ensure that they have the capabilities they need and that we are protecting them from space,” Lloyd said.

The Air, Space and Cyber Conference provides professional military development, facilitates sharing of emerging requirements and technologies, and helps fuel connections that advance the cause of air and spacepower. This year’s theme was “Achieving Decisive Advantage in an Age of Growing Threats.”