AURORA, Colo. (AFNS) — During the Air and Space Forces Association’s Warfare Symposium, three Space Force senior leaders met center stage in Aurora, March 4, to discuss the future of space operations with an emphasis on the need for technological advancements, international partnerships and scalable capabilities to counter evolving global threats.
U.K. Royal Air Force Air Marshal Paul Godfrey, assistant chief of space operations for Future Concepts and Partnerships, was joined by Lt. Gen. Shawn Bratton, deputy chief of Space Operations, Strategy, Plans, Programs and Requirements, and Maj. Gen. Dennis Bythewood, special assistant to the Chief of Space Operations, during the panel discussion where the trio focused on the future of the youngest service.
Bratton underscored the Space Force’s urgent need to scale its capabilities from peacetime operations to full-scale conflict scenarios.
“We’ve got to be able to scale the things we do one or two of in peacetime; we might have to do them 100 times in the first 24 hours of conflict … what does that look like?” he posed while emphasizing the necessity of robust crew resource management and training.
Bythewood echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the military must integrate proven commercial technologies.
“We are actively working to make sure we can connect everything on orbit to everything on the face of the planet and underneath the ocean in dynamic ways to support combat maneuver,” he said.
The panelists also pointed to artificial intelligence and machine learning as key enablers of future space operations. Bythewood highlighted the challenges of data management, stating, “The amount of data we bring back from our platforms becomes overwhelming. Taking advantage of AI and machine learning to help triage data and put decision-quality information in front of Guardians, Soldiers, Sailors and Marines is critical.”
Bratton, however, acknowledged the challenges of integrating AI and software-driven capabilities: “Probably everyone in here has been on an ops floor where someone walks in and drops a new tool, a new container, a new piece of software, and you’re immediately in operations, but you haven’t had the training. The dilemma is ‘when does the benefit outweigh the risk?’”
As the discussion matured, the trio began to touch on the Space Force’s “Allied by Design” concept, with Godfrey offering his view on interoperability with allies and partners to strengthen the U.S.’s ability to secure the space domain.
Godfrey stressed the importance of seamless collaboration. “How do we make it interoperable? How does it work outside of a single system? We need to ensure that when a capability from an ally is introduced, it integrates seamlessly.”
The discussion also touched on the U.S. administration’s directive for the ‘Golden Dome Initiative,’ a national defense project focused on integrated air and missile defense. Godfrey emphasized the importance of allies in this effort, stating, “there will be huge opportunities for allies and partners to contribute to this, and as a result, benefit from a Golden Dome that extends across various regions.”
As the Space Force looks ahead to 2040, its leaders are calling on industry and international allies to support innovation and integration.
“We’re focused on where we need to be in 2040 and what changes need to happen between now and then to get us there,” Bythewood stated.
Bratton reinforced this message, emphasizing the need to normalize rapid-response capabilities, citing successes in Space Systems Command.
“We’ve had some incredible demonstrations of capability — now we need to be able to do that at scale, in conflict.”
As the service continues to refine its force design and operations, collaboration with industry and international partners will be key to ensuring the U.S. and its allies maintain space superiority.
The Space Force’s ability to harness new technologies and leverage its partnerships is critical for it to turn strategic discussions into actionable policies and technologies that define the future of space warfare.
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