Air Force Space Command boss Gen. Jay Raymond called space “the DNA of fusion,” noting space is a part of everything the US military does today. Speaking at AWS17 Thursday, Raymond said Space Command has worked hard “to integrate those space and now cyber capabilities into the fight,” but the Air Force now needs to address the threat posed by adversaries who are “actively developing capabilities” to thwart the US in space. “We must be able to protect and defend” our space assets, Raymond said. To do so, AFSPC is working on a “concept of operations with the National Reconnaissance Office” for the defense of space. That concept of operations sets two goals: ensuring “the ability to command and control” in space and developing better “situational awareness” of all space assets, both US and foreign. In taking intermediate steps toward achieving these goals, Raymond said, AFSPC has “overhauled our training programs” and is working on “developing tactics, techniques, and procedures” for an operational space environment.
Army Gen. Christopher G. Cavoli, head of U.S. European Command and Supreme Allied Commander Europe, warned that Russia would remain an enduring threat to NATO and global security, regardless of the outcome of the war in Ukraine.