By Air Force Staff Sgt. Carlin Leslie
Air Force Public Affairs
WASHINGTON, May 22, 2014 – At an annual gathering of civil,
military and industry professionals from across the globe, Undersecretary of
the Air Force Eric Fanning emphasized Air Force contributions through space and
cyberspace.
Fanning was the featured keynote speaker at the May 20 Space
Symposium dinner held in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
The undersecretary said Air Force missions are not only
global but complex, and operate in multiple places and domains like space and
cyberspace, that people don’t necessarily know about or see.
“We are not just a warfighting service,” explained Fanning,
who is the focal point on the Air Force staff for space operations, policy and
acquisition. “We are also an intelligence service -- (intelligence,
surveillance and reconnaissance), cyber and space together. We are one-stop
shopping for the president. We can tell him what’s going on anywhere in the
world -- and if he wants us to -- we can do something about it, anywhere in the
world, anytime.”
The undersecretary said the Air Force has provided this type
of support, not just to the president, but to combatant commanders for decades.
“Space power has also been a key element of warfighting for
more than 30 years, providing a unique vantage to observe activity around the
globe, relay terrestrial communications and provide precision position
information,” Fanning said.
However, space is not just a one-nation show, he said, and
that a global domain requires a global team.
He pointed multiple international agreements and said the
Air Force has recently furthered defense cooperation by establishing a
partnership with Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom on combined space
operations.
“Combined space operations allow better collaboration on
space activities that we agree are most critical, such as identifying objects
in orbit and understanding what they're doing, avoiding satellite collisions
and contributing towards a safer, more secure space environment,” Fanning said.
He also said the Air Force is working hard to reduce spending
while ensuring delivery of necessary space capabilities to the warfighter. For
example, the Air Force found significant savings in the Evolved Expendable
Launch Vehicle program with long-term contracts and is supporting new entrants
for certification.
While launch costs are a concern, Fanning said he also wants
to make sure the Air Force has reasonable and resilient satellite programs.
“A larger constellation of smaller satellites might be more
affordable for some missions, so that even if one satellite fails, there will
be others that can pick up the slack,” Fanning said. “That is the benefit of
creating a resilient architecture.”
Fanning explained the reason for a resilient architecture
relies not only on the fact that debris exists in space that can potentially
damage or eliminate a satellite, but also because space is no longer considered
a sanctuary.
“We cannot assume that our deployed systems will either be
inaccessible or unnoticed, and thus undisturbed,” Fanning said. “Our potential
adversaries are well aware of the distinct advantages that our space systems
provide us, and they are developing counter-space capabilities in pursuit of
asymmetric goals.”
Fanning also acknowledged the work of both government and
industry professionals in developing space capabilities into the ubiquitous
assets they are today and he emphasized working within current budget
constraints.
“Thank you for the work you have done to advance our
capabilities in space,” he said. “I challenge you to continue to help ensure we
maintain a leading edge in space now and 30 years from now, particularly in
this challenging political and fiscal environment.”
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