Thought Paper: Air, Space, and Cyberspace Conference Published Oct. 12, 2023 By Col. David G. Hanson PETERSON SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo. -- I had the opportunity to attend this year’s Air and Space Forces Air, Space and Cyber Conference in the National Capitol Region this September. If you’re unfamiliar with the conference, according to AFA, it “provides first-class professional military development, facilitates sharing of emerging requirements and technologies, and helps fuel connections that advance the cause of air and space power.” In other words, it’s a great opportunity to hear from senior leaders directly, connect with industry and commercial partners, and link up with colleagues across the force. These also conveniently directly tie into the Chief of Space Operations’ LOEs: Field Combat Ready Forces, Amplify the Guardian Spirit, and Partner to Win. There were some stand out panels from the event including the keynotes from Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall, Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown, and Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman. In summary, all our senior leaders emphasized strategic competition is the context for the future air and space power. We must change the way we fight and modernize key capabilities to remain effective. We must prepare for the next war with peer competitors, not the war of the last 30 years. In addition to the keynotes, the Cyber Warfare Panel resonated with me as the Space Base Delta 1 commander. Many of you have heard the term that cyber is the soft underbelly of space operations. There is a distinct relationship between cyber and space. Space operations is enabled by cyber and cyber operations is enabled by space. For Space Base Delta 1, we are particularly concerned with critical infrastructure and eliminating cyber vulnerabilities through partnerships with local utility companies. The US Space Force fights from our installations; we are employed-in-place, and special considerations must be taken into account for our critical infrastructure, including communications, to ensure we are able to fight (and deter) the next war. We also have infrastructure dependencies with our local utility partners and need to bring them into the resiliency conversation. Our CSO also spoke at great length on our new mission statement, which was unveiled previously via C-note #16: “Secure Our Nation’s Interests in, from and to space.” As the Space Base Delta 1 Commander, I’m responsible for leading the team who provides Base Operating Support to more than 18,400 military, Department of Defense civilians and contractor personnel serving at dozens of locations world-wide. Each member of our team encapsulates the mission statement. It’s in everything we do. Running the bases is an understatement. We enable US Spacepower! There was a great panel discussion involving our partners from the UK, Australia, and Canada. The UK rep mentioned without the stand-up of the USSF and USSPACECOM, there would not have been the stand-up of UK-Space. They further discussed “Allied by Design” regarding interoperability. Today and in the future, we will be fighting (and training) together. No longer will it be a peer-to-peer fight. The CSAF (now CJCS) spoke about change. Change is a journey, not a destination. He also mentioned that people only aspire to be what they see. So, we need to be seen. We need to tell our story. Help those outside the military understand what we do and why we do it. The Commander of NORAD and USNORTHCOM leads the Homeland Defense mission. Homeland Defense does not start at home. It starts out monitoring and protecting the oceans, the Arctic and all the approaches to the US Mainland. 52% of the NORAD/USNORTHCOM is in the Arctic. Space Base Delta 1 operates the DoD’s northernmost and most remote installation at Pituffik Space Base (formerly Thule AB) in northern Greenland. This strategic location is home to Delta 4 and Delta 6 space missions as well as a 10,000 foot runway and a deep-water port. The Science and Research community is also very present at Pituffik SB. In conclusion, I encourage you to attend these types of opportunities in the future. To have the opportunity to hear directly from leadership and network with colleagues is a unique opportunity to think innovatively and critically about where we fit in the larger mission. These events and conversations are time well-spent!