The new boss at Air Force Space Command, Gen. Kevin Chilton, admits that the solution to creating greater “situational awareness” in space lies in two areas: advanced technology and improved intelligence. “There’s no single silver bullet to solve this issue,” he told reporters at Peterson AFB, Colo., recently. Right now the AFSPC can count and keep track of what’s in space, but Chilton says it’s time to go to the next level, identifying a spacecraft and understanding its mission and intent. To increase the intelligence focus, says Chilton, “you need the kind of folks with the skills to be able to take information in from the space environment, analyze it, and make an assessment.” He asserts that the “knowledge base” needed for space intelligence is different than that needed for air-breathing, land, or naval intelligence. Looking at the numbers who can do this job today, says Chilton, “it’s time to start building up that expertise.”
NASA Boss: Race to Moon Has National Security Stakes
Sept. 15, 2026
NASA is pushing hard to get astronauts back to the moon by 2028—and the urgency is driven in no small part by the national security implications of doing so before China does, Administrator Jared Isaacman said Sept. 15.
