19 April 2023
Witnesses
Gen. Randy George, Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, USA
ADM. Lisa Franchetti, Vice Chief of Naval Operations, USN
Gen. Eric Smith, Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps, USMC
Gen. David Allvin, Vice Chief of Staff, USAF
Gen. David Thompson, Vice Chief of Space Operations, USSF
Gen Thompson
On Space Readiness
-Maintaining space readiness has never been more critical.
-The Space Force’s overall readiness depends wholly on our people, equipment, and training.
-By retaining the optimal quantity and mix of personnel; fielding and protecting the right systems; and deploying basic, advanced, and continuous full-spectrum training, the Space Force will sustain the resilient, effective, and ready force our Nation requires
-We need to ensure that we field the greatest fighting force, systems, and capabilities necessary to deter potential adversaries from acts of aggression and, if necessary, defeat them in conflict.
On Resilient and Effective Space Capabilities
-Space Force readiness, and the Department’s broader integrated deterrence emphasis, ultimately demands resilient space systems and capabilities that effectively deter both on-orbit and terrestrial threats.
-The Space Force will not only ensure enduring access to space capabilities, but it will also disincentivize and deter targeted aggression.
-The President’s Fiscal Year 2024 (FY) budget request demonstrates the Department’s significant, analytically-informed investments in resilient systems.
-Planned upgrades include military Missile Warning, Missile Tracking, Space Data Transport, Command, Control, Communications, Battle Management (C3BM) systems, and space-based targeting proliferated architecture that will be more resilient during a strategic attack.
On Force Design
-A key element of readiness is the capabilities inherent in the systems the Space Force uses to execute its missions. The Space Force, primarily through the Space Warfighting Analysis Center (SWAC), executes a force design process intended to assess future capabilities through the lens of operational need, counter space threat, and cost.
-Current force design priorities are space data transport and tactical targeting – both of which are vital to prevailing in peer-to-peer conflicts.
On Operational Test and Training Infrastructure
-At its very core, Space Force readiness requires our systems and operators to be ready for the full spectrum of operations in a contested space domain.
-The Space Force’s current OTTI is a loose federation of systems that build proficiency and procedural currency for a benign environment – it does not build warfighting capacity demanded by the current and emerging strategic environment.
-Congress’s strong support for Space Force’s OTTI efforts has greatly accelerated these priorities, and the Space Force continues to make significant strides in developing and implementing its planned OTTI architecture, governance structure, and resourcing strategy, which is appropriately reflected in the President’s FY 2024 budget request and in the Department’s Future Years Defense Program.
On Readiness and Training
-The Space Force continues to prioritize and advance our updated readiness, training, and force generation initiatives.
-The new Space Force Generation model, SPAFORGEN, reached Initial Operational Capability on October 1, 2022, and cycles Guardians through three phases to increase individual and overall force readiness.
-The “Prepare” and “Ready” phases afford Guardians with the time and capacity for training to develop the tools, skills, and capabilities necessary for mission execution in a contested domain against a thinking adversary.
-As part of SPAFORGEN, Space Training and Readiness Command (STARCOM) is making great strides to prepare space forces to prevail in competition and conflict through innovative education, training, doctrine, and testing.
Force Presentation to Combatant Commands
-The Space Force presents space capabilities that underpin all instruments of our national power. Pursuant to law, the Space Force retains the responsibility to organize, train, and equip space forces. To that end, the Space Force generates and presents ready space forces to Combatant Commands to deter threats and, if necessary, prevail in conflict.
-To ensure full integration and synchronization of space activities with other domains in combatant commands’ areas of responsibility in 2022, the Space Force activated three new component field commands for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, U.S. Central Command, and U.S. Forces Korea.
-Component field command Guardians provide space planning and employment expertise, as well as command and control for the combatant commanders.
On Unit/Mission Transfers
-The transfer of this function and associated resources is directly in line with the USSF Military Satellite Communications mission.
-The Space Force continues to ensure SDA’s seamless integration within the service and remains steadfast in its commitment to ensure adequate resourcing and manning.
-The transfer of this function and associated resources is directly associated with the Space Force’s Missile Warning mission.
-Adding the Theater Missile Warning function will consolidate global Missile Warning under one military Service.
On Integration with Allies and Partners
-Our strategic competitors do not have the potential for establishing the coalitions and cooperation that the U.S. can establish. This is especially true in the space domain.
-Especially as our competitors continue to demonstrate reckless and dangerous actions within the space domain, it remains imperative to deepen our existing ties with allies and partners to maintain space stability.
-The Space Force is executing the CSO's Partner to Win Line of Effort which states we cannot succeed without robust joint, coalition, international, interagency, academic, and commercial partnerships.
-The Space Force must also prioritize direct collaboration and placing Guardians in positions where such collaboration can organically strengthen.
-The Space Force continues to lead international Space Engagement Talks, and efforts to share our force design analysis, which are identifying focused resource commitments that allow trusted partners to share the burden of delivering combat-ready space forces and the spectrum of worldwide capabilities.
On Weapon System Sustainment
-Space Force Weapon System Sustainment directly supports the Space Force's ability to sustain the day-to-day readiness of 52 weapon systems performing Space missions.
-Future requirements continue to grow due to increasing costs for hardware, software, and cybersecurity maintenance driven by aging space systems.
On Facilities and Infrastructure Investment
-Structural, electrical, and power improvements to operational facilities reduces risk to mission and enables our joint and coalition partners in the fight, while quality of life infrastructure and facility improvements reduce risk to the force by improving resiliency amongst our Guardians, Airmen and their families.
-The Space Force’s ability to prioritize its unique requirements at our 14 installations, more than 70 sites, and other geographically separated units ensures we appropriately align responsibility, resources, accountability and authorities for the Space Force to execute its assigned missions as an independent service.
-The Space Force’s top installation priorities include sustaining critical facilities and infrastructure that enable the full spectrum of missions—from launch and command and control to post-launch and into the operational phase of sustaining 52 Space Force Weapons Systems.
-Moving forward, the Space Force will continue to prioritize projects that increase facility and infrastructure resiliency and Service readiness.
On Talent Management
-The Space Force is setting the foundation to achieve the tenets of the Guardian Spirit, through the Space Force’s human capital multi-pronged approach.
-The Space Force will shift from managing people within prescribed career fields to managing positions based on the competencies and experiences needed to succeed.
-During the event, key enlisted leaders assessed each Guardian’s demonstrated performance, the Guardian’s potential, the best interest for the Guardian, their families, and the best interest of the service to match Guardians to key leadership and developmental positions.
-The USSF is in the process of establishing intermediate-level education and senior-level education programs in collaboration with a private university, culminating in a Master of International Public Policy degree starting in Summer 2023.
-We expect leaders at every level to take bold, purpose-driven, and data-informed actions, while making full use of their team’s diverse abilities to overcome challenges to accomplish our mission as set forth in the National Defense Strategy.
On Space Digital Workforce
-Because of its highly technical nature, the Space Force requires a workforce that retains the digital fluency to rapidly turn data into useful insights to accelerate innovation of operational and business activities.
-Digital aptitude remains essential to help lead the transformation to becoming an interconnected, innovative, digitally-dominant force in order to deter and defeat threats to space operations.
-The Space Force continues to provide Digital University access to every Space Force member, including civilians, which incorporates curated digital content designed to establish a foundational level of fluency on modern digital topics.
-The Space Force remains on the forefront of digital transformation to meet demand for existing and emerging need.
-The President’s FY 2024 budget request builds upon our previous investments and sustains our commitment to creating a space digital workforce capable of meeting our joint warfighter requirements.
-To this end, the Space Force will continue to build a cadre of organic software coders to streamline software development and promote the adoption of software technology that will prove instrumental to Space Force operations, testing, and training.
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