It is no secret that US military forces have become more and more dependent on space, leading to an absolute need for space superiority, Lt. Gen. Michael Hamel told defense reporters in Washington Tuesday morning. The Air Force’s program executive officer for space believes that the need for “complete situational awareness,” including whether spacecraft could potentially interfere with or launch attacks “against our space capabilities,” will translate into more dollars for missile defense, Hamel said. “I think we’re going to see more money going into the whole space situational awareness and defensive capabilities across the [Defense] Department,” he concluded.
The Space Development Agency says it’s on track to issue its next batch of missile warning and tracking satellite contracts this month after those awards were delayed by the Pentagon’s decision to divert funds from the agency to pay troops during this fall’s prolonged government shutdown.
