COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. –
U.S. Space Command (USSPACECOM) held its first-ever Apollo Insight Commercial Integration wargame series with commercial mission partners on March 23, 2026.
The first of four Commercial Integration tabletop exercises scheduled to take place throughout the year, this iteration addressed the threat of weapons of mass destruction in space. Wargame facilitators presented a notional worst-case scenario. Participants representing U.S. defense experts, government leaders, allied nations, and commercial mission partners then worked together to identify collective actions and develop technical pathways that the community can proactively adopt to help prevent such a situation.
While the event was classified, discussions covered a range of topics including the importance of domain awareness for detection and characterization and the threats facing U.S. and allied space superiority.
Chief Master Sgt. Jacob Simmons, senior enlisted leader for the command, delivered opening remarks to kick off the event.
“Space is no longer a supporting supplement…it is a central system woven into the web of our modern life,”
Simmons said. “From markets to medicine, from agriculture to aviation, from navigation to notification, we are all synchronized with space.”
“If and when space is struck down, all of society is struck down…this is not only our heavenly fight, but also our home fight and it is humanity’s fight,” he added.
In addition to commercial organizations, the wargame also hosted participants from Multinational Force-Operation OLYMPIC DEFENDER member nations Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, as well as representatives from 17 different government organizations including the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Department of Energy, NASA and several research labs.
“We had a very high request to attend from USSPACECOM’s Commercial Mission Partners with 62 companies and 175 people attending, including six CEOs, nine vice presidents and 31 directors from companies across the space enterprise,” said U.S. Navy Cdr. Heather Thomas, USSPACECOM’s lead for Commercial Integration. “Our next Commercial Integration Wargame is set for June and will center on Orbital Maneuver Warfare.”
“We’re expecting the same high level of interest,” she added.
Jay Santee, Aerospace Corp. General Manager, said he was pleased with the enthusiasm and creative solutions of the participants during the wargame.
“U.S. Space Command shared briefings on the scenario for this wargame that discussed potential threats and impacts, and mitigation approaches. I was very pleased with the participants’ engagement. They shared innovation, courses of action, and new and interesting ideas on how to deter the use of nuclear detonation in space. I feel as though the participants came away from the wargame with a better understanding and awareness of the seriousness of potential threats and they were eager to share their thoughts on how they could be a part of the solution,” he said.
Roland Rainey, Vantor Senior Account Executive and Director of Business Development added, “This wargame didn’t just discuss the future of space warfare—I believe it helped shape government and commercial industry viewpoints. The caliber of strategic, operational, and tactical insight shared made this a supreme gathering for defense professionals. I left more inspired with an amplified sense of purpose.”
Gen. Stephen Whiting, USSPACECOM commander, first announced the quarterly wargame series in December at the Spacepower Conference in Orlando, Florida. In his remarks, he challenged the notion that space was ever free of conflict, rather, the Space Age was born during the great power competition of the Cold War. Whiting warned that misunderstanding the reality of space’s role in military activities risks ceding our advantage in the domain – superiority that relies on the entirety of our national security space sector.
“If we fail to adjust our mindset, if we cling to the myth that space is somehow ‘different,’ we risk falling behind our opponents who have already made that adjustment,” he said during his conference keynote.
The APOLLO INSIGHT Commercial Wargame series will continue throughout 2026, with future events addressing issues such as Orbital Maneuver Warfare, Proliferated Constellations Across Orbital Regimes, and Integrated Missile Defense.
For information about USSPACECOM’s industry engagement or to explore opportunities to participate in future campaigning with commercial programs, please visit: https://www.spacecom.mil/Partnerships-and-Outreach/Industry-Engagement-Portal/