19 septembre 2018 | International, Aérospatial

How the Air Force plans to use space to project power in the 21st century

By:

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md.— As the National Defense Strategy and National Security Strategyhave made clear, space is set to become a crucial war fighting domain, as nearly every operation the military conducts relies on space assets.

So when the leaders of the Air Force's Global Strike Command, Space Command, commander in Europe and Africa and special operations head all shared a stage at the Air Force Associations annual conference to discuss operations, its no surprise they chose to focus on how the service plans to leverage space assets to project power in the 21st century.

One reason space is so important, not just to the Air Force, but all military services, is that space assets enable multidomain operations that are becoming the norm in the modern warfare. Citing the Air Force's successful strikes against Assad-regime chemical weapons manufacturing sites in Syria in April, Gen. Tod D. Wolters, commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Africa, explained the mission was successful because “we had well-vetted and thorough multidomain operations.”

Another key reason the Air Force is doubling down on space is because the outcome of a conflict with a near-peer will largely depend on winning the battle in space. “If deterrence fails I am convinced ... if we are up against a peer or near-peer we are going to have to fight for space superiority,” said Gen. John Raymond, commander of Air Force Space Command. “As the National Defense Strategy talks about, that's going to require capability from multiple domains to come forward,” he added.

Raymond noted the need to control assets in space was prioritized in the National Security Strategy, which talks about “unfettered access to and freedom to maneuver in space as a vital national interest. That's significant, it wasn't in the last National Security Strategy.”

And unlike in previous endeavors beyond Earth's atmosphere, the U.S. is no longer going it alone. Looking at the spectrum of operations “from humanitarian assistance and disaster relief on one end to kinetic on the other end, there is nothing that isn't done without multidomain operations or integration of air, space and cyber together, and there is nothing we do not do without our allies," Raymond said. "So by definition multidomain, [and command and control] has to be coalition friendly.”

Considering the need for U.S. partners in space and how the space environment has evolved, Raymond explained, "we haven't needed to have partners in space before. It was a benign domain.... That is not the case today and we are working really hard to develop those partnerships that we enjoy in all other domains than space.”

But projecting power from space requires work to be done on terra firma by the U.S. and its allies.

Gen. Timothy Ray, commander of U.S. Air Force global strike command, explained “The ability to improve much faster at our bases and our power projection platforms absolutely has to be an integrated conversation. We talk about integrating air space and cyber we fundamentally have to master the integration of our bases.”

https://www.defensenews.com/newsletters/digital-show-daily/2018/09/18/how-the-air-force-plans-to-use-space-to-project-power-in-the-21st-century-2

Sur le même sujet

  • Leonardo signs contract with Malaysia for two ATR 72 MPA

    25 mai 2023 | International, Aérospatial

    Leonardo signs contract with Malaysia for two ATR 72 MPA

    This contract follows the selection of the solution offered by Leonardo announced last October, and includes the supply of two ATR Special Mission aircraft in Maritime Patrol configuration plus the...

  • KONGSBERG awarded second follow-on JSM contract with Japan valued 820 MNOK

    4 décembre 2020 | International, Aérospatial

    KONGSBERG awarded second follow-on JSM contract with Japan valued 820 MNOK

    December 1, 2020 - The JSM is a 5th generation stealth air-to surface missile developed to fill F-35A anti-surface warfare (ASuW) and land attack capability gaps. JSM can be carried internally in the F-35 thus ensuring the aircraft's low-signature capabilities. The JSM has superior performance against well-defended sea- and land targets across long distances. “The international F-35 user community is continuing to show great interest in the JSM and KONGSBERG is very proud to have been selected by Japan to provide the JSM for their F-35 fleet. “Our relationship is growing even stronger with this second follow-on contract”, says Eirik Lie, President, Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace AS. For editors: KONGSBERG and the Government of Japan are not disclosing any further detail on value, volume or timeline of the contract. For further information, please contact: Ronny Lie, Group Vice President Communications, Kongsberg Gruppen ASA, Tel.: (+47) 916 10 798. Jan Erik Hoff, Group Vice President Investor Relations, Kongsberg Gruppen ASA, Tel: (+47) 991 11 916. View source version on KONGSBERG: https://www.kongsberg.com/newsandmedia/news-archive/20202/kongsberg-awarded-second-follow-on-jsm-contract-with-japan-valued-820-mnok/

  • Rolls-Royce secures defense services contract valued at $1.2 Billion

    27 novembre 2019 | International, Aérospatial

    Rolls-Royce secures defense services contract valued at $1.2 Billion

    26 November 2019 Rolls-Royce has secured a five-year MissionCare™ contract valued at $1.2 Billion to maintain AE 1107C engines on U.S. Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force V-22 aircraft. Rolls-Royce has delivered nearly 1,000 AE 1107C engines to power the fleet of V-22 aircraft in operation around the world. The total fleet of more than 375 MV-22s and CV-22s in service recently topped 500,000 flight hours – or 1 million engine hours on the twin-engine aircraft. Under the Rolls-Royce MissionCare contract, the company will be responsible for all aspects of propulsion system support, on a Power by the Hour™ basis. Paul Craig, Rolls-Royce, President – Services, said, “Rolls-Royce has supported the warfighter and these remarkable, revolutionary aircraft since they entered service in 2007. Our MissionCare services model ensures the warfighters are focused on their missions, not their engine availability. Rolls-Royce is proud to serve the Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force and contribute to the success of V-22 missions around the world.” Rolls-Royce AE 1107C engines are assembled in Indianapolis, in the company's largest facility in the U.S. The engines are part of the AE engine family, which has a proven record of reliable service in military and civilian aircraft. The AE engine fleet has topped 77 million hours of dependable service around the world. The Rolls-Royce facilities in Indianapolis are nearing completion of a $600 million investment to modernize and upgrade technology, resulting in a state-of-the-art advanced manufacturing operation. Rolls-Royce employs 6,000 people in 27 states across the U.S., literally coast-to-coast, from southern California to Walpole, Massachusetts. In addition, Rolls-Royce business supports more than 52,000 jobs across the US, adding nearly $9 billion to the nation's economy each year. Rolls-Royce has invested nearly $1 billion in Research and Development in the US since 2013. About Rolls-Royce Holdings plc Rolls-Royce pioneers cutting-edge technologies that deliver clean, safe and competitive solutions to meet our planet's vital power needs. Rolls-Royce has customers in more than 150 countries, comprising more than 400 airlines and leasing customers, 160 armed forces, 70 navies, and more than 5,000 power and nuclear customers. Annual underlying revenue was $19.35 billion* in 2018, around half of which came from the provision of aftermarket services. In 2018, Rolls-Royce invested $1.8 billion* on research and development. We also support a global network of 29 University Technology Centres, which position Rolls-Royce engineers at the forefront of scientific research. The Group has a strong commitment to apprentice and graduate recruitment and to further developing employee skills. *Based on a currency exchange rate of $1.29 View source version on Rolls Royce: https://www.rolls-royce.com/media/press-releases/2019/26-11-19-rr-secures-defense-services-contract.aspx

Toutes les nouvelles