Photo By Andy Morataya | Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman offers a keynote address at the Air,...... read more read more
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Winning in space and maintaining U.S. superiority demands a new approach to a decidedly earthbound activity – capabilities delivery, Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman said Sept. 23.
“Today, I want to … focus on force design and development,” Saltzman said in his keynote to an overflowing crowd of several thousand at the Air, Space and Cyber Conference. “More specifically, capability delivery — how we acquire and field the systems that our Guardians employ to successfully accomplish our critical missions.”
The focus and timing were no accidents. Through-out his 30-minute remarks, Saltzman highlighted a number of successes and examples for “enhancing the speed and effectiveness of our deliveries.”
For example, he pointed to a significant advance in GPS, one of the few space systems that most Americans are familiar. “By combining new tactics, rapid upgrades and testing-in-ops, we boosted the average global GPS accuracy by 40%,” Saltzman said. Such precision helps civilians in everyday life and, he added, “It can also guide B-2 bombers halfway around the world, and steer precision-guided bombs to within inches of their target in case that’s ever needed.”
He also highlighted the Space Force’s ability to rapidly reconstitute capability, if needed.
“Over the last year, we launched two state-of-the-art GPS satellites to continue providing timing and navigation to the world. In the past, it took us almost two years to prepare, transport, stage and launch a GPS satellite. Now, it takes us only three months,” Saltzman said.
At the other, largely unseen end of the spectrum for most Americans, there also was success, Saltzman said.
“Just this month, the Space Development Agency successfully launched the first of their ‘Tranche One’ proliferated architecture,” he said. “This system will provide missile warning, tactical communications, optical cross-links and more. With more than 150 satellites in all, this capability will provide continuous overwatch and deny first mover advantage by making attacks against these systems less impactful.”
The reason for the intense focus and effort is obvious, Saltzman said.
“Now, high-quality space systems are mandatory, but they’re not relevant if we wait for them to be near-perfect before we put them in the hands of warfighters,” he said.
To succeed, Saltzman was blunt, saying the service as well as industry must move away from the ways of the past that slowed the development and production of critical equipment.
“Effective systems don’t require perfection to be combat credible. We need to consider rapid entry into operations, manage the capability with a smart risk posture, and then focus on rapid and continuous improvement of the capability in operations,” he said.
With the capabilities delivered through space more essential than ever in protecting national security and global economic stability, Saltzman said the Space Force must be able to identify, develop and deploy capabilities faster and more reliably than ever.
“Simply put, the Joint Force’s ability to project power, offer options to national leaders and provide security to the American people depends directly on how well we deliver and sustain our space systems,” he said.
As for timing, he said that the nearly six-year-old Space Force is at a point in its history that offers an opportunity to act. “We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to fundamentally change and revolutionize how we develop and deliver the space systems our nation needs. And because of this opportunity, I’m here to tell you, the Space Force is prepared to take decisive action,” he said.
Another key element, Saltzman said, is recalibrating the way the Space Force interacts – and collaborates – with industry.
“We’re leading a shift from a transactional relationship with industry to a collaborative one,” he said.
“We’re planning more high-level touchpoints with industry leaders to make sure our strategies align. ... Closer collaboration to ensure mutual understanding of system requirements and the threat environment. And a clearer understanding of how our shared investments will benefit all of us.”
A key part of that effort is the Front Door, an online portal “to gather innovative ideas from across the commercial sector.”
The portal allows the Space Force to evaluate industry ideas and products “against the needs of multiple organizations far beyond just SSC – including all Space Force Field Commands, broader Department needs, external government agencies, and allies and partners. If it’s a good match, we’ll connect you with the right office to see where your great ideas might enable our missions,” he said.
In addition to real-time actions, Saltzman outlined changes in how the Space Force is moving to anticipate future needs by analyzing adversaries, the needs of combatant commanders and the evolving environment in space. “We’re also building the architecture of the future and making sure we’re prepared for what our adversaries might do next,” he said.
The combination of this analysis, intelligence and strategy results in a clearly documented Future Operating Environment serving as an authoritative source for requirements planning. With this planning, we are able to design and document our Objective Force – this is the ‘what, when, and how many’ for space systems and their supporting structures to include manpower. This detailed assessment, planning and analysis will create a clear picture to the staffs for requirements and resourcing but also to industry on what the needs of the service will be for the next 15 years,” he said.
The thread connecting all the activity and change, Saltzman said, the performance and dedication of Guardians at every rank.
“You are the heart and soul of our mission. You fuel how we will win the fight,” he said. “Your nation needs you on the invisible front line every day. Continuous learning and rapid improvement is how we stay one step ahead of the adversary.”
“The Joint Force and the American people don’t always see what we do, but we still must deliver. And it makes me proud to watch you do it every day,” Saltzman said.
| Date Taken: | 09.23.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.24.2025 01:00 |
| Story ID: | 549119 |
| Location: | NATIONAL HARBOR, MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 19 |
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