PETERSON SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo. –
PETERSON SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo. – U.S. Space Command hosted the second iteration of the spring commander’s conference on May 2-5, 2022.
More than 100 leaders from the across the Department of Defense, State Department, NASA, USSPACECOM components and U.S. allies gathered to further build upon the Fall commander’s conference objectives, address threats to the space domain, and discuss solutions that will ensure the U.S. and its allies can outpace the competition and act responsibly in space.
“This conference serves to align our collective understanding of the space domain’s trajectory – from human exploration and the extension of our Area of Responsibility to Cislunar and beyond to sharing current threat observations to better prepare for the future,” said U.S. Army Gen. James Dickinson, USSPACECOM commander. “Also, for this iteration of the conference, we hosted scholars whose diverse outlooks on the future roles of humankind in space encouraged participant discourse. These challenges to existing theories about space spur breakthroughs that broaden commercial, interagency and international partner integration and refine capabilities that may address future obstacles.”
For the first time since the commander’s conference series began in 2020, USSPACECOM invited its allied counterparts to attend the event and provide an update on the status of their respective space commands.
“Conferences like these are crucial, it’s not an international engagement – it’s understanding and planning so if we need to, we can execute together,” said Brigadier Chris Gardiner, Australia Defence Space Command Director of Operations. “The conference was an opportunity to expand our cooperation and collaboration for sustained freedom of action in space, optimize our resources, enhance mission assurance and resilience, and discuss our shared commitment to responsible behaviors in space.”
In addition to allied participation, U.S. State Department Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Arms Control, Verification, and Compliance, Mallory Stewart, offered her perspective on diplomacy’s role when collaborating with the armed forces.
“From the State Department's perspective, diplomat participation in exercises with the military further reinforces cooperation while establishing new interagency and intergovernmental relationships; it fine-tunes our assessment of the operational environment to characterize threats to the space domain and define the role of diplomacy in response to those issues,” she said.
Given USSPACECOM’s frequent work with NASA, the command invited the director of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center to speak on the benefits of partnered activities in military and space missions that advance the Nation’s space endeavors.
“NASA looks forward to working with USSPACECOM and expanding ways we can partner. Despite our organizations’ distinct objectives, sharing our data and research benefits all within the scientific community,” explained Jody Singer. “You can look at our different missions when you're going to the moon or on the space station, science instruments and space technology, there's one thing they all have in common, and that is people. The people part of it are a critical part – their ideas, their dreams.”
At each iteration of the conference, commanders highlight their “Stars of the Command,” personnel from across USSPACECOM’s functional and service components who have demonstrated exceptional performance, dedication to service and devotion to duty.
“The importance of getting together for conferences like these is invaluable. I think that’s the easiest word to describe it,” said Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Jay Williamson, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Cyberspace Command sergeant major. “Relationships are key to our success and the best way to build a relationship is to get into the same room with each other. Putting a face to a name or billet increases our ability to get our mission done. It adds a personal touch to our professional requirements. The conferences enable us to do that.”
The Unified Campaign Plan assigns USSPACECOM the responsibility to ‘protect and defend U.S. and, as directed, allied, partner, and critical commercial space operational capabilities.’ Events like the commander’s conference are held to strengthen USSPACECOM’s ability to meet its assigned responsibilities and ensure there is Never A Day Without Space.