Space mission critical to Air Force success

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Scott Elliott
  • Air Force Print News
WASHINGTON --  The commander of Air Force Space Command made his point perfectly clear to those whose focus remains firmly on the ground -- wars cannot be won without space supremacy.

“We’ve introduced, in 50 short years, the asymmetric advantages provided by space power,” said Gen. Lance W. Lord on Sept. 14 at the Air Force Association’s 2004 Air and Space Conference and Technology Exposition.

“Our message is clear,” he said. “You can’t go to war and win without space.”

The keys to success in space are a professional space cadre, partnership with NASA, industry and Congress, and the ability to integrate space operations with air, land and sea operations. That combination, effectively managed, provided the effective combat capabilities demonstrated in Operation Iraqi Freedom, General Lord said.

“(Space command) is less visible -- we operate underground in North Dakota, Wyoming and Montana. We also operate in lower orbit as well as geostationary orbit, so you might not see us every day, but we’re there and working hard,” he said.

Besides manning intercontinental ballistic missiles, which “provide top cover for our nation and forward-deployed troops,” space command Airmen provide around-the-clock warning against missile attacks, control space surveillance of the nearly 10,000 objects that orbit Earth, and manage the secure communications flow in and through space, he said.

“Our space capabilities … make the world seem smaller; they make our operations more secure and, without question, help us provide decisive combat effects,” General Lord said.

“We need to treat that medium of space, and those capabilities, very carefully,” he said. “We need to treat space superiority with the utmost concern.”

The U.S. Air Force must establish and maintain space superiority, General Lord said.

“Those words roll off our tongues just like ‘air superiority,’” he said. “It’s not a birthright, but it can be our destiny if we work it hard and continue to aggressively follow that.

“So, space superiority really is our day-to-day mission. Space supremacy is our mission and vision for the future,” the general said. “We will accomplish space superiority by working hard every day and, in doing so, we will be able to achieve and maintain space dominance.”

The final ingredient to getting the most out of America’s military space assets is integrating space capabilities into the planning, execution and assessment phases of operations, General Lord said.

“We must ensure our capabilities are integrated from the beginning, from Day One, not ‘and space’ at the end or annexes separate from the basic plan -- it has to be integrated,” he said. “You (have) to think about space superiority from the first day you put a plan together. You can’t assume it at the end. It can’t be an afterthought.”

A major reason for inclusion in initial operational planning is because potential enemies know how vital space assets are to American military operations, General Lord said.

“Our enemies know we rely upon combat power from space to wage violent warfare and bring those combat effects,” he said. “We need to allocate the necessary resources to defend our resources in space, not only now but in the future.”

The general said Saddam Hussein’s early attempt to jam Global Positioning System-guided bombs was an example that warfare in space has already begun.

“With every advantage we gain from using space systems comes the equally important responsibility to protect it,” he said.

“Many (people) point to the high cost of developing space systems and capabilities, but I offer a different perspective,” the general said. “Can we afford to lose our space superiority? I say ‘no.’”

General Lord said America has completed the transition from a nation interested in space to a nation with national interests in space.

“We must protect and defend our interests in space,” he said. “The road to space supremacy is important -- in fact, it’s critical to our security. Our nation depends on it.

“At the end of the day, there are Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast (Guardsmen) who benefit from the magic of Air Force Space Command,” General Lord said. “They may not always know where or when, or from where, but you can’t go to war and win without space.”