AURORA, Colo. –
U.S. Space Command’s Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. Thomas James, participated in a panel discussion at the Air & Space Forces Association Warfare Symposium on March 5, 2025, titled "Deterrence in an Increasingly Dangerous World."
Moderated by retired Gen. Kevin Chilton, the panel also featured Lt. Gen. Thomas Carden, Deputy Commander, U.S. Northern Command, and Vice Adm. Richard Correll, Deputy Commander, U.S. Strategic Command who engaged in a discussion on the enduring importance of deterrence to address today’s rapidly evolving challenges.
During the panel, James emphasized that though modern adversaries are finding ways to bypass traditional deterrence methods, joint military strength remains foundational.
"We have a tremendous ecosystem that allows us to build strength in our space capabilities," James said. "The exercises that we do, both with different services, across multiple domains, and alongside multiple Combatant Commands, shows that we're really good at how we operate as a joint force."
James also underscored the key role that space has taken in modern deterrence calculations and how adversaries have adapted their tactics to target the U.S. military’s reliance on space-based capabilities.
He pointed out two key lessons that adversaries have gained from observing U.S. military operations. First, space integration is a major U.S. advantage, and second, adversaries seek to neutralize that advantage while enhancing their own space capabilities.
"Our adversaries have watched how we use space to give a huge asymmetrical advantage,” he said. “So they ask, ‘how do we take that away from the U.S. and its allies?’”
Among U.S. Space Command’s Unified Command Plan responsibilities is the designation of Space Joint Force Provider, which underpins the lethality of warfighters around the world.
The discussion stressed the importance of alliances and cooperation with commercial space partners to enhance resiliency, as well as the integration of military, allied, and commercial space capabilities demonstrating strength and unity and bolstering deterrence.
"We’ve learned, like cyber before us, that we have to be tied very tightly with industry," he said. "General Whiting talks about space as absolutely a team sport, and I think partnerships and alliances are a big part of our deterrence strategy in the global, not regional, environment that we have to operate in.”
Looking ahead, USSPACECOM is focused on enhancing space domain awareness, accelerating technological advancements, and deepening global partnerships.
"I think ‘Golden Dome’ is a great opportunity for peace through strength," James said. "It’s not just one organization realizing the concept—it’s multiple commands and agencies collaborating together. The fact that we are working at unifying multiple systems at the timing and tempo and the methods that we need—those options are really important for our country, and I think it’s those different options that really provide us deterrence.”