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.
Secretary of Defense Austin Lloyd III met with his counterparts from Australia, Japan and the Philippines to discuss bolstering defense ties on May 2. The discussion included plans for joint F-35 exercises with Japan and Australia in the coming years.