NATIONAL HARBOR, Md.— A new Space Force planning document predicting future enemy trends through 2040, designed to help officials better acquire key technologies and prioritize missions, should be released later this year, the service’s top uniformed leader said Monday.
Strategists and analysts are prepping a document titled “The Future Operating Environment,” focusing on the emerging technology trends and national security threats in space, Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman said in a Tuesday speech at the Air & Space Force Association’s Air, Space and Cyber Conference. That guide will also show what service acquisitions officials should seek from defense contractors and will inform future exercises, wargames, and simulations for the service.
“A lot can change in 15 years, and I want to make sure there’s no stone unturned to make sure that we’ve at least captured what we see as the trends,” Saltzman told reporters during a media roundtable following his keynote. “We see this as a game changer.”
Saltzman said he wants the document published by the end of this year, with plans to republish new versions every five years. He has routinely warned that space is rapidly becoming a more contested and competitive domain, and that adversaries are working hard to gain an advantage.
Reports of counter-space threats ranging from jamming GPS in warzones near Russia and the Middle East to enhanced satellite maneuvering displays by China have raised alarm among U.S. military officials and defense analysts. Last year, reports of Russia’s desire to test a nuclear weapon in space rippled through Congress and the Pentagon, putting heightened focus on the possibilities of space warfare.
“Recent events in Ukraine highlight what conflict and daily life looks like if we lose our edge in space,” Saltzman said. “Leaders will struggle to command formations without space-enabling communications, prolific GPS jamming will cripple civilian infrastructure, forcing society back into its analog past.”
But Saltzman also pointed to headwinds in acquiring new technology.
“The calls for us to go faster and deliver more are louder or more loud than they’ve ever been, and at just shy of six years old, the Space Force certainly has room for improvement,” Saltzman said. “The defense acquisition system offers us a lot of flexibility, but it can also raise barriers for space programs and the people who lead them.”
Saltzman unveiled a small rebrand to Space Systems Command’s Front Door Initiative—a website used to solicit ideas and connect contractors with service officials. Under the new “Space Force Front Door” name, the top service official wants ideas from the defense industry to be pitched and across the entire service, not just the acquisitions command.
“Your concepts are now vetted against the needs of organizations beyond just SSC, including all Space Force equities, broader department needs, other government agencies, and allies,” Saltzman said. “Every bit of new technology that gives us an advantage is a win for the Space Force and the nation.”
One new piece of technology Saltzman told reporters he is interested in building out is “a live aggressor force” that would allow Guardians to practice fending off attacks on training satellites while fellow service members act as adversaries—a major departure from virtual simulations.
Though a significant portion of the Space Force’s operations and assets are highly classified and out of public view, Saltzman was optimistic about being able to make the operational planning document widely available.
“I hope that there’s an unclassified version. I hope there’s a secret version. I hope it goes all the way up so we can get it to the people at the right level that they need to make decisions,” Saltzman said.
