Q In July 2024, you spoke about SPACECOM’s paramount priority: to optimize combat readiness by 2027 by le- veraging testing, operations, and exercises with partners as critical to operating more effectively. In view of China’s, what you call “breathtaking speed” in fielding counter- space capabilities, are we on that trajectory to match or exceed their capabilities by 2027? A. Yeah. Thank you for the question. You know you quoted me there as using the word “breathtaking.” I’m thinking about updating that word for 2025 to “jaw-dropping.” They just continue to move unbelievably fast in a couple areas. One is building a suite of counter-space weapons that you alluded to in your question. That’s everything from reversible nonkinetic satellite communications jamming, GPS jamming, but it also includes things like high-energy lasers and direct ascent ASAT [anti-satellite] weapons, co-orbital ASAT weapons, and even offensive cyber ca- pabilities. And then the second area where [China is] moving very, very fast is building out that ISR system. And sometimes we call that a C5 ISRT [command, control, computing, communications, cyber, intelligence, surveillance, recon- naissance, and targeting] system that is designed to find, fix, track, and, yes, target American and allied terrestrial forces. I have testified before Congress that I believe we are in a window of vulnerability right now relative to China [be- cause] they moved faster into the counter-space weapons than we have. And so, it’s vital for us, and for our acquisi- tion professionals in particular, that the programs that we are funding now to make us more resilient against those threats and to give us capabilities that we need—those must deliver. We need the kit that those programs are going to deliver to allow us to close this window of vul- nerability. And we appreciate the partnership we have with mul- tiple acquisition organizations. I think I could count prob- ably seven that are fielding capability that we need here at U.S. Space Command. Those programs are vital for us to be successful relative to this very significant challenge that we face from the PRC [People’s Republic of China]. Q Speaking of the PRC, in April of this year, INDOPACOM representatives met with their Chinese counterparts at the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement Working Group, which allows for discussions about air and maritime operational safety. Does Space Command have a similar engagement with their PRC counterparts? And how well is that going? A. Emily, the short answer is no, we do not have a similar forum. But let me talk about the things that we’re doing because we do care about the safety and stability and sus- tainability of the space domain. So, each and every day a Space Force unit reports up to U.S. Space Command what we call conjunction screen- ing of all active satellites on orbit against all the debris
Q When looking at those capabilities, what do you look to the other Services or other space agencies perhaps to provide to your area of responsibility that the Space Force can’t or maybe shouldn’t provide? A. Let me start by talking about the Space Force, because we have this interesting and unique relationship with them. It’s the only pairing of a Combatant Command and a Ser- vice focused on the exact same domain. They are a vital mission partner to us, and our success is indelibly bound up in their success. And they are our largest force provider, but we do rely on capabilities from each of the other Ser- vices. That starts with the capabilities that they need to implement their Service’s particular mission. So, for example, the United States Navy, as they’re thinking about how their Navy fleet survives under the ISR [intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance] system that, in particular the Chinese have built. Well, that drives a set of requirements for the Navy to have space capabili- ties that help the fleet survive. Much like they have aircraft to help the fleet survive and execute the fleet’s missions. That’s true for the Army. It’s true for the Air Force. It’s true for the Marine Corps. And at U.S. Space Command, we derive benefits from those space capabilities that each of those Services is developing to implement their Service’s missions. And we want to take advantage of that for our missions here as well. The second way I think that we get great benefit from the other Services is they bring us their expertise. So, here at U.S. Space Command I like to say that it’s great for us when about 50 percent of the people that show up to work here, whether military or civilian, have space expertise. Maybe they’re Space Force Guardians, or maybe they’re Army space officers or Navy maritime space officers, or Marine Corps maritime space officers who have that deep expertise on space. But I need the other half of my people to have expertise in joint warfighting, who help us inte- grate space into the Army’s scheme of maneuver or the Air Force’s scheme of maneuver. So it’s that blending of space expertise with what the other Services bring us that really I think is the secret sauce at U.S. Space Command. Defense Acquisition magazine editors interview Gen. Stephen Whiting, USSPACE- COM commander, on Nov. 18, 2024. Source: Photo by Simon Li
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