USSPACECOM Deputy Commander addresses progress to combat threats in the domain
ARLINGTON, Va. – Lt. Gen. Thomas James, U.S. Space Command deputy commander, discussed the command’s role in deterrence and warfighting during the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies’ Schriever Spacepower Series with Charles Galbreath, senior resident fellow for space studies, May 8, 2025.
James provided an update on what the command has accomplished since USSPACECOM Commander Gen. Stephen Whiting engaged with the MI-Space team nearly 11 months ago. He noted the command has prioritized further synchronization with the Joint Force, allies and partners, industry, commercial partners and academia, to ensure the integration of capabilities to meet our missions and address adversarial threats.
“I think you have strength in your deterrence messaging when you can show what our capabilities are,” James said. “One of our strongest deterrents … is our Allied integration, cooperation and strategic partnerships, not just with Allies, but commercial industry, how we're continuing to advance rapidly with innovation on the commercial side, interagency and even academia.”
Over the past year, adversaries have continued to accelerate their activities and build out their military space architecture with the intent of holding the U.S. and its allies’ space systems at risk in a conflict. These observations have reinforced the need to address space as a warfighting domain.
“I want to be able to provide as many dilemmas as I can afford. I want to be as effective as I can as long as I can do that efficiently. And I think that applies in how we’re going to approach orbital warfare,” James said when asked about what he sees as the balance between defensive and offensive capabilities.
He added that orbital warfare will take a “holistic approach” and achieving space superiority will take a “joint, multidomain, allied, coalition approach–a strategic partnership approach.”
The Joint Force is essential to this holistic approach, delivering terrestrial and on-orbit capabilities at scale. From the services to the combatant commands, James noted a growing recognition that space superiority is crucial to winning conflicts.
He praised the U.S. Navy’s advancements and understanding of the strategic advantage its space capabilities and global maneuverability bring, particularly given its ability to position in international waters. He also lauded the U.S. Army’s development of space control planning teams, specifically the 1st Space Brigade’s space planning cell which brings together space experts – and will soon include the Army’s new Enlisted Space Operations Specialist military occupational specialty, 40D – and intelligence personnel from different military branches, including the U.S. Space Force, focused on supporting Army missions and tactical operations.
He further highlighted how the command’s Joint Integrated Space Teams, the U.S. Space Force – Indo-Pacific component, and the Army’s Multidomain Task Force are working to address the complex process of coordinating space capabilities across services, allied nations to ensure efficiency and lethality.
Integrating Combined Force capability is vital not only to operations, but as a deterrent measure against adversary aggression. James underscored this by emphasizing the significance of Multinational Force - Operation OLYMPIC DEFENDER achieving initial operational capability, giving the U.S., Australia, Canada, France, Germany, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom the ability to not only plan together, but to conduct space operations together.
“I will tell you that the aggressiveness across all of those nations to get at this mission set is apparent,” James said. “They're leaning into that very heavy and I think we're learning from each other. I think it's a footprint and a pathway for how we're going to move in the future as we continue to increase allied participation.”
Leveraging all capabilities—including commercial and industry partners—brings innovation and technology to maintain the command’s advantage in space. While the military services remain the lead for acquisitions, USSPACECOM defines warfighting requirements, so is focused on identifying the most effective and efficient capabilities to ensure it can achieve space superiority, James said.
To help address the challenge of space superiority, the command has emphasized the importance of Dynamic Space Operations and sustained space maneuver. And while some of the focus has been on space logistics, James emphasized that it’s much more than that. It also has to be looked at from the perspective of countering a threat and using automation to learn in real time.
“It is the idea of artificial intelligence, machine learning, data analytics on the systems in your command-and-control capabilities, so that in the middle of a maneuver, maybe from an adversary satellite or a system that's egressing on one of ours … you're doing machine learning in the middle of maneuver,” James said.
He said while space is a unique environment, the fundamentals of warfare still apply, which means staying forward-thinking. He pointed to the dedication and adaptability of USSPACECOM personnel as a key advantage, alongside the entirety of the space enterprise, given their continued focus on driving requirements and integration.
“I just think the way that we think is warfighting, the way we speak is warfighting, the way we do is warfighting,” he said.
This year, USSPACECOM has placed a strong emphasis on enhancing command and control, with Whiting designating 2025 as “The Year of C2.” By integrating efforts across the Joint Force, allied nations, commercial partners, and industry, the command is building a more agile and cohesive approach to space superiority.
“It's the integrated piece that gives us the place that we're going to have to go to be able to stay ahead of our adversaries,” James said.