A recent symposium hosted by Air University’s National Space Studies Center highlighted a widespread perception among space experts, educators, and lawmakers that the general public and many military personnel do not appreciate our dependence on space, reports AU’s Carl Bergquist. During a three-day Space Education Symposium in Montgomery, Ala, Maj. Gen. Stephen Miller, commandant of the Air War College, said one of the first places the Air Force should start to recruit new members to the space field is the Air Force Academy, just up the road from Air Force Space Command. Easier said than done, according to Col. John Hyten, AFSPC director of plans and requirements. He said, “The young cadets love what we are doing in space, but few are coming into the space business.” Other speakers acknowledged that civil and commercial space face the same problem. Few young people consider a career with NASA, and the same goes for industry, which provides much of the US military’s space work. Hyten said, “Our national pool of space-smart scientists is shrinking, and the industry is having a hard time delivering on demand.”
US Space Command Should Always Be Led by a Guardian
Sept. 12, 2026
General Stephen Whiting took command of U.S. Space Command in January 2024, and if customary three-year tenures hold, his tour would end in January 2027. The question now before the President and Senate is who should follow him? Whoever they choose, it has to be a Guardian—and so should every successor…
