US Strategic Command held its first Joint Space Doctrine and Tactics Forum last week to work out new concepts and tactics that address orbital threats and challenges, STRATCOM boss Adm. Cecil Haney said Feb. 6 during a Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies event in Washington, D.C. Haney said he has tasked the Joint Space Operations Center leadership at Vandenberg AFB, Calif., to adjust US strategic posture on orbit to better “characterize the operational environment,” and work to develop new tools, tactics, partnerships, and “command and control relationships.” During the forum, participants addressed “doctrinal, cultural, programmatic, and organizational issues” in space. The gathering brought together leaders from across the space community for “candid discussions” on how to coordinate efforts and how to identify gaps to better prioritize investments. Haney said it was a good opportunity to see different solutions to enhance exiting satellite capabilities in “congested and contested environments,” and how to maintain advantage in degraded scenarios.
NASA, SpaceX, and United Launch Alliance are all preparing to launch their next-gen rockets from Florida’s Space Coast, two of them before the year is out. One is expected to liberate the U.S. launch enterprise from its reliance on Russian-made RD-180 engines, while all three rockets could eventually carry astronaut crews.