The U.S. Space Force is making organizational moves that the industry should closely monitor. These changes, spearheaded by Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman, aim to amplify the voices of satellite operators and personnel on the front lines of space operations and create new mechanisms to stay abreast of cutting-edge developments.
Key initiatives include establishing Integrated Mission Deltas (IMDs) and creating a Space Futures Command.
While these may sound like typical military jargon, they signal important shifts in the Space Force’s operations and innovation plans.
The Space Force IMDs combine units that handle specific mission areas — such as space electromagnetic warfare and positioning, navigation and timing — with program offices responsible for testing, maintenance and acquisition activities. Officials said this integration breaks down traditional silos and allows for a more streamlined command structure where one leader oversees all aspects of mission readiness.
Accelerating modernization
Saltzman has advocated for this approach in order to accelerate modernization and posture the Space Force to compete more effectively with rival powers that are challenging the U.S. in the space domain.
Beijing’s accelerating pursuit of space capabilities, from anti-satellite weapons to advanced surveillance systems, has necessitated these changes, Saltzman has said.
While it’s still early days, positive feedback from the electromagnetic warfare and PNT integrated units suggests that the Space Force’s organizational gambit will pay off in the long run, according to Col. Joseph Roth, director of innovation and prototyping at the Space Force’s Space Systems Command.
A key goal, he said, is to facilitate faster technology integration and more rapid fielding of new capabilities.
“You’ll see new integrated mission deltas pop up, and I think it’s a great way to work,” said Roth. “It gets the operations and acquisition community closer together” and ensures that investments are more closely aligned with actual operational demands, he said.
This bottom-up approach contrasts the top-down decision-making that has typically characterized military acquisitions.
New command coming
The forthcoming establishment of a Space Futures Command is also significant for long-term industry planning. This new entity will identify emerging technologies and capabilities that the Space Force will need to maintain its edge.
Saltzman, in February, announced plans to create a Space Futures Command to help identify emerging threats, validate new concepts and provide insights into the types of capabilities that could be needed in the years ahead.
The new command is not expected to create bureaucratic bloat but to consolidate existing functions spread across the Space Force. It will consist of three primary centers: the Space Warfighting Analysis Center, the Concepts and Technology Center, and a Wargaming Center.
Roth said the provisional standup of Futures Command is expected in August. “By the end of the year, we’ll have a general officer running the organization, and we’ll be moving units and capabilities,” he said.
Front-line focus
These organizational moves recognize a simple truth: those directly managing space assets often have the clearest understanding of operational needs and technological gaps, said Lt. Gen. David Miller, commander of Space Operations Command.
He emphasized that the Space Force’s primary focus is meeting the needs of the military’s combatant commands worldwide, which rely on space services like satellite communications, GPS navigation and early warning of missile launches.
The integrated deltas and the establishment of Space Futures Command are strategic moves designed to streamline the delivery of space capabilities, Miller said.
These reorganizations reflect a Space Force that is striving to become more operationally responsive and technologically adaptive. What this signals to the space industry is that while innovation is crucial, it should mostly be grounded in practical military utility.
This article first appeared in the ‘On National Security’ commentary in the August 2024 issue of SpaceNews Magazine.