Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Shannon Burns | Left, Paul Pelley, the senior director of Advanced Programs for Lockheed Martin,...... read more read more
Subscribe
U.S. Space Command held its second Apollo Insight Commercial Integration wargame series on June 24, 2026.
The second of four Commercial Integration tabletop exercises focused on maneuver warfare in the space domain and provided different scenarios and taskings. Participants engaged in joint strategies, refined communications, and spurred innovative ideas for future capabilities from the commercial sector.
“We had incredible interest for our inaugural Commercial Integration Wargame TTX on weapons of mass destruction on orbit, drawing 62 companies from our commercial mission partner network," said Cmdr. Heather Thomas, integration branch chief for USSPACECOM. "For our second exercise on maneuver warfare, we welcomed 225 participants representing 91 different companies, including 37 new additions since our first event. As we plan for our third TTX on September 23, 2026, focusing on diversified orbits, I fully expect this collaborative momentum to grow even further."
Joseph Calibeo, business development manager for Sierra Space Defense, said he felt honored to be invited to the wargame series and work alongside USSPACECOM and partners to identify how commercial space partners can be leveraged to solve challenges in space using current and emerging technologies. He attended the first TTX in March and returned for the second to further engage in informed and cooperative conversations.
“Sierra Space is no stranger to sustained maneuver and dynamic space operations as we have designed our Velocity and Titan vehicles to be refuellable with high thrust and high delta V. The tabletop exercise on maneuver warfare provided commercial with a demand signal and importantly validated investments for refueling, logistics and servicing technologies,” Calibeo said. “I plan to attend the next Commercial Integration tabletop, and Sierra Space is thankful to be part of the conversation to shape the future of commercial utilization.”
Gen. Stephen Whiting, USSPACECOM commander, has repeatedly called for a shift from fixed spacecraft to maneuverable assets, asserting that satellites capable of moving in orbit are a necessity as competitors have demonstrated on-orbit logistics and sustainment.
At the 41st Space Symposium in April, he said in response to adversarial presence and actions in the domain, “The necessity of maneuver in space has intensified over the past year.”
He added, “In space, we must perform, survive, and gain positional advantage. We want innovation that gives us maneuverability, endurability, and survivability—because maneuver warfare demands rapid, focused, and unexpected actions that shatter the enemy’s cohesion. A satellite which is locked in a predictable orbit is fighting from a fixed position, and it's a target.”
He highlighted the Apollo wargaming initiative as being modeled after the Louisiana Maneuvers of 1941, the large-scale Army exercises that helped validate new concepts of mechanized warfare before World War II. He said the goal of this approach is to replicate that in space, and simulate sustained, contested operations in orbit and test how we transform to a maneuver warfare strategy for space.
Barbara Golf, the strategic advisor for space domain awareness and director, Joint Commercial Operations, participated in this wargame, and said, “I fully support USSPACECOM’s efforts to incorporate commercial in this Year of Integration. I appreciated the creativity of our commercial partners and the practicality of the [Capabilities and Resources Analysis Division] sponsors, who were focused on the logistics of implementation as they saw the maneuver options available from our providers. The greatest advantage the U.S. has is its allies, partners, and our commercial industry teammates.”
The first TTX in the series was held in Colorado Springs, Colorado on March 23, 2026, and centered on the threat of weapons of mass destruction in space. To read about the first TTX in the series go to: https://www.spacecom.mil/Newsroom/News/Article-Display/Article/4451258/usspacecom-executes-inaugural-apollo-insight-commercial-integration-wargame-ser/
The APOLLO INSIGHT Commercial Wargame series will continue throughout 2026, with future events addressing issues such as proliferated constellations across orbital regimes and integrated missile defense.
For information about USSPACECOM’s industry engagement or to explore opportunities to participate in future campaigning with commercial programs, please visit: https://www.spacecom.mil/Partnerships-and-Outreach/Industry-Engagement-Portal/
| Date Taken: | 06.25.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 06.29.2026 09:57 |
| Story ID: | 568901 |
| Location: | COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO, US |
| Web Views: | 22 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, USSPACECOM hosts second wargame series focused on maneuver warfare in the space domain, by PO1 Shannon Burns, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
