The Mitchell Institute’s Aerospace Nation Podcast

As our youngest military branch, the U.S. Space Force is still rapidly evolving to meet the challenges of an increasingly contested space domain. At the heart of this evolution is the newly established U.S. Space Forces – Space (S4S), which serves as the Space Force service component to U.S. Space Command, the newest combatant command. 

Listen to our conversation with Lt. Gen. Douglas A. Schiess, the inaugural commander of S4S, as he takes us through the journey of its stand-up, its make-up, and a look to its future.

The Indo-Pacific region encompasses over half the world’s population, accounting for 60% of global GDP. China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, India, and Taiwan are all key players in the region—and the world. But destabilizing behavior by China and North Korea threaten a free and open Indo-Pacific. U.S. Space Forces Indo-Pacific was established two years ago to ensure commanders in the region have access to the space capabilities they need. As a component of INDOPACOM, its job is to ensure space capabilities and effects are integrated into joint and combined military operations with allies and partners.

Since 1960, the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) has developed, acquired, launched, and operated our nation’s eyes and ears in space. Maintaining a spacepower advantage requires the NRO and Space Force to work closely together. This not only helps address the increasing threats posed to defense and intelligence satellites but is also essential as critical U.S. warfighting functions, such as ground-moving target indication, transition to the space domain.

Join us for an insightful discussion with Dr. Troy Meink, Deputy Director of the NRO, as we examine the NRO’s relationship with the Space Force and learn more about how the NRO is changing to meet emerging challenges in the space domain.

Strong alliances and robust space capabilities underpin global stability. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and its growing emphasis on the importance of the space domain exemplify both facts. For the past 75 years, NATO has been the pinnacle alliance for the United States and the front line of deterrence against Russia. Now, as we see Russia and China cooperating militarily and weapons around the globe can threaten the space capabilities critical to NATO, the challenges NATO faces are greater than ever. Join us for an in-depth discussion with Maj. Gen. Devin R. Pepper to learn how NATO is responding to the rapidly evolving and complex global security environment.

Operational Imperatives, re-optimizing for great power competition, and a security environment experiencing massive change—these are just a portion of the challenges Dr. Grayson has focused on over the past few years. Given his time at DARPA, the Intelligence Community, and the technology world, Dr. Grayson brings an incredibly unique perspective. With the scale and scope of his portfolio, he is shaping future vectors for air and space power that will be felt for decades. Join us for an insightful discussion with Dr. Grayson to better understand where the Department of the Air Force is headed and why.

The airmen at U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa are charged with addressing some of the most complex security challenges on the globe. Russia’s aggression in Ukraine has dramatically altered the security calculus in the region and beyond. At the same time, in Africa, the U.S. is facing a complex mix of challenges: everything from violent extremism to the increasing influence of both China and Russia. Airpower is vital to empower smart policy options and strategies in both regions.

The Air Force is at the epicenter of generational transformation. The security environment is posing severe risks the likes of which have not been seen in decades; the force is in the middle of a massive modernization cycle—including two legs of the nuclear triad and NC3; the information age is radically redefining elements of how missions are executed; and the attributes required for individual Airmen to meet mission objectives continue to evolve. All of this is occurring at a time of extreme budget pressure, high COCOM demand, and challenges tied to recruiting and retention. This is a no-fail era for the Air Force. The decisions made in the coming years will radically impact options available to future leaders for decades.

Key Takeaways:

With China engaged in a nuclear break-out, Russia upgrading its nuclear capabilities, plus Iran and North Korea aggressively pursuing their nuclear ambitions—a credible, capable, and safe U.S. nuclear deterrent is more important than ever. The imperatives are clear: to deter adversaries, reassure allies, and provide national leaders with key options whether in peacetime or war. That is why it is so important the U.S. pursue modernization for all three legs of its nuclear triad, including command and control. While present capabilities remain viable, their advanced age and the evolution of the threat environment demand new solutions. This is especially true for the Air Force’s intercontinental ballistic missile and bomber legs of the triad. Lt Gen Gebara is a key defense leader in this effort.