Space Force maximizes talent on earth to succeed in space, protect capabilities vital for modern life

  • Published
  • By Chief Master Sgt. Caleb Lloyd, Space Operations Command Senior Enlisted Leader
Like water from a faucet and power from an outlet, U.S. citizens rely every minute of every day on services delivered through space. Despite this reliance, most don’t appreciate the gravity of how critical space is to modern ways of life and why our Guardians and Airmen must defend it. 

Fortunately, the U.S. Space Force understands the imperative of securing space and takes that responsibility seriously. 

It’s no small job. The stakes in space have never been higher and the future more uncertain. Given that space enables much of America’s critical infrastructure that powers everything from agriculture to banking, communications and national defense, compromising these capabilities would cause significant and potentially irreparable damage to our security and life as we know it. The importance of preserving the ability to operate in the space domain has never been more necessary, difficult, or dangerous.

America’s competitors, including China and Russia, are modifying their processes and equipment at break-neck speed; therefore, we cannot succeed if we perpetually rely on legacy ways of operating. 

Space Force leaders know that succeeding in space relies on effective planning and execution of essential missions here on Earth. Ensuring our organization is lean, innovative, and driven by motivated and highly specialized personnel is vital. This builds on the already strong culture Guardians bring to the fight, while also driving new ways of thinking about how we recruit, train, retain, and present America’s best and brightest. 

Across the Space Force this idea for squeezing every advantage out of our force and aligning them correctly is powered by the Space Force Generation (SPAFORGEN) model. This powerful effort assures current and future advantage in the presentation of forces to combatant commands whenever and wherever the world needs us. This force generation model will not only increase Guardians’ mission effectiveness, but also increase the predictability of their operations tempo and enhance quality of life. 

Another critical, earth-bound effort is the Space Force Personnel Management Act. This 2023 law offers a new model of service for space-focused career fields. This is expected to strengthen recruiting and retention efforts by providing flexible career paths allowing full-time and part-time service commitments while capitalizing on skillsets developed in civilian industries. Integrating and aggregating space power is essential to the service’s functionality.

Even with exquisite satellites and hardware, the Space Force succeeds for one simple reason: the men and women who volunteer to serve. Historically, nations fail in conflict because of their inability to leverage talent at all levels. Undisputably, this is where America’s military services, including the U.S. Space Force, thrive. Our non-commissioned officers, or NCOs, are empowered in ways that other nations desire and that global competitors fear.

This is why Space Operations Command announced 2024 as “The Year of the NCO.” NCOs are mid-tier enlisted members who serve as the critical link between command intent and successful mission execution. Other countries’ militaries envy the professionalism of our NCO corps, so much so that other nations visit our NCO development courses to better understand how they can make improvements for their own military effectiveness. NCOs are the indispensable combat edge in our force that no adversary can match, and we are committed to their continued development in an era of renewed Great Power Competition.  

The continued development of the Space Force NCO corps and all other Guardians and Airmen supporting space operations has never been more critical given the numerous and complex threats we face today. 

Space has never been more contested, congested, and competitive – with approximately 80 nations and numerous private companies operating in the domain. Strategic competitors are delivering on-orbit capabilities at an exponentially increasing rate with many new capabilities designed to deny or defeat our own. With more than 900 satellites on orbit today, the People’s Republic of China operates more satellites alone than the entire world had in 2002. They are intentionally shifting the global paradigm away from sovereignty and freedom toward authoritarianism and repression.

We are keenly aware of irresponsible behaviors and operations in space by the PRC and Russian Federation as they develop and test capabilities that, if used, would be detrimental to all nations. Our priority in space is to preserve international order and prioritize partnership so all nations can operate in space freely and without threat to essential services enabled by space-based capabilities. 

The watchful eyes of our Guardians and Airmen remain vigilant 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – surveilling, warning, and protecting against counter-space activity that may cause harm to America and its allies and partners. War is not inevitable, but we remain ready and postured to preserve your freedoms now and into the future.