SECAF Wynne told the Air Warfare Symposium that, in supplying worldwide surveillance, airlift, air dominance, precise navigation, timely strike, and global communications for the US military, USAF’s contributions are taken for granted by the other services and the Pentagon leadership. “We play our role so well, people forget they have to resource it,” he reported. He also said that, although the first priority of the military today must be to support the troops engaged in “this bloody fight” in Iraq, the Defense Department still has an obligation to prepare for the full “spectrum of warfare.” That means still being able to deal with a near-peer competitor in every arena. (Note: Whenever defense officials use the term “near peer,” they mean China.)
The Space Force’s work to establish a pool of at-the-ready commercial satellite capacity during a crisis is moving out of the pilot phase as the service prepares to award its next batch of contracts in 2026.
