ORLANDO, Fla. (AFNS) —
The Assistant Chief of Space Operations for Future Concepts and Partnerships, Air Marshal Paul Godfrey, delivered his key insights into the future of his role and strategies in place to strengthen the Space Force during the Space Force Association’s 2024 Spacepower Conference in Orlando, Dec. 10.
Speaking on a panel alongside Steven Ruehl, the Director of Policy and Programs for the Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force, International Affairs, Godfrey highlighted the ever-changing landscape of developing partnerships in the space domain.
Godfrey, a member of the Royal Air Force, discussed the position with Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman nearly a year ago, when he was offered a chance to “operationalize the partner to win” concept, one of Saltzman’s lines of effort. Godfrey assumed his current role in July.
“I sat down with [my] team, and we looked at where we can have the most impact. So, we settled on three areas,” Godfrey stated.
The first area of effort is shaping the future of space operations. Godfrey highlighted efforts to integrate international allies into the force design process. “It’s about creating an instruction manual,” he explained, ensuring that allies and partners have clarity on processes such as force design, foreign military sales and commercial partnerships.
The second area of effort is harnessing collaborative power through the Combined Space Operations, or CSpO. Godfrey detailed the role of CSpO, which is a ten-nation forum comprising the Five Eyes nations—the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom — alongside France, Germany, Italy, Norway and Japan. This forum enables the integration of allied space capabilities into shared strategies. “How do we harness the capabilities they bring?” Godfrey asked, pointing to the importance of designing integrated architectures that leverage the unique strengths of each partner.
The third and final area of effort is strengthening NATO engagement. With seven of the ten CSpO nations as NATO members, Godfrey emphasized aligning strategies to ensure cohesive integration. “Space is a warfighting domain,” he reiterated underscoring the significance of NATO’s Article 5 declaration — which obligates NATO members to assist other NATO members when they are attacked — as it pertains to space, which raises the stakes for potential adversaries.
During his remarks, Godfrey highlighted concerns about the overclassification of space-related data. While acknowledging the need for discretion, he argued for greater transparency to foster collaboration. “Currently, we are not sharing enough,” Godfrey said, stressing that this as a critical area for improvement to strengthen allied operations.
Godfrey also discussed the importance of deterrence through coalition strength. “The risk calculus for our potential adversaries increases when they see ten nations in a room collaborating on integrated architectures of the future,” he said, citing the members of the CSpO.
With space increasingly acknowledged as a warfighting domain, Godfrey’s lines of effort underscore the need for unity, strategic foresight, and robust partnerships to navigate its complexities.
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