| By Mike Gruss
How is the military's role in space changing?
That's a broad question. But two high-ranking Space Force generals each offered views on the role space will play in the military's near to long term planning last week. Gen. Shawn Bratton, the vice chief of space operations, spoke with SpaceNews' Sandra Erwin at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center. And Gen. Michael Guetlein, who leads the Golden Dome initiative, spoke at AFCEA Space Industry Days.
One theme that emerged during these engagements: space will become more significant for the military and as such, space operations will be more closely integrated into future planning.
Of course, this idea of increased importance has been a common talking point for years. But what came through were some specifics on the military's plans for space capabilities, where it wants to go from here and even some areas that military leadership thinks may not be worthwhile.
First off, what will space mean for the military? -
Bratton said he expects the size of the Space Force to double in the next five to 10 years. Today, the service has roughly 5,000 civilians and 10,000 uniformed Guardians. Interestingly, while there are no current plans to deploy Space Force personnel in space, Bratton said the possibility should not be dismissed over the long term. "It would be tragic if that didn't happen someday," he said. -
The Space Force is looking to better integrate space operations into combat planning. -
Space superiority is becoming a bigger deal "I think we'll be doing a lot more space superiority activities than we are today," Bratton said.
And second, what ideas might get tossed to the side, or reworked to become more feasible?
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The value of satellite refueling is an ongoing debate. "It may save me a lot of money, and that may be the reason to do it," Bratton said. But from a military perspective, he added, the advantages have not yet been proven in wargames. One concern is that the added infrastructure would introduce new vulnerabilities. "I have not seen in wargaming the military advantage during conflict that refueling brings to space," Bratton said. -
Guetlein said the manufacturing equation may need to change. "We have the most exquisite capabilities on the planet, with a high probability of kill. They do not miss but they take forever to build. They're exceptionally expensive."
And finally, how will some of the military's goals for space come to fruition via acquisition? -
Guetlein also discussed specific space-related acquisitions via Golden Dome. "I've got the Space Force buying (space-based interceptor)s. I've got the Army buying munitions and sensors. I've got the Navy buying munitions. I've got the Missile Defense Agency buying next generation interceptors, glide phase interceptors, and a whole host of other capability," He also works closely with the Space Development Agency's low Earth orbit sensor and transport network. Guetlein noted that the Missile Defense Agency's SHIELD procurement vehicle, with more than 2,000 vendors selected to compete under contract, is simply "a tool that I can reach in and use if I need to."
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