Gen. Kevin Chilton, boss of Air Force Space Command, has several priorities, including the need to preserve and expand the ability to deliver space effects and provide safe and secure strategic deterrence. He told attendees Friday at AFA’s Los Angeles symposium that AFSPC must focus on developing, fielding, and sustaining superior space capabilities, even as it tries to attract, develop, and retain people with the right expertise. Chilton called the personnel side of the equation extremely important as space capabilities become more and more sophisticated. He pointed to the need to establish total situational awareness, considering that “our adversaries understand our dependence on space” and that there are at least 10 countries that can or have orbited satellites in space.
The U.S. supports “a stronger and more capable” European defense, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said during an Oct. 22 press conference in Brussels—but that defense should not duplicate the functions and capabilities of the NATO alliance.