COLORADO SPRINGS, CO -- To support the warfighter in Iraq, U.S. military space assets have been integrated in highly capable ways and are critical to combat.
General Lance Lord, Commander of the Air Force Space Command opened up the 19th National Space Symposium, being held here April 7-10.
Lord saluted this morning's liftoff of a Milstar satellite on a Titan 4B from Cape Canaveral, Florida. "So far, things are going good," he said.
Milstar is a huge and expensive space asset that provides secure, jam-resistant satellite communications to military users of all services. For example, current Milstar operations provided enough capacity to handle more than 4,200 telephone calls in support of the initial wave of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Expectations run high that Milstar satellites will see a steady increase in usage to support future operations.
On-going transformation
Lord highlighted military operations in space that are supporting air, land, and sea forces. He also senses growth in future space capabilities, one aspect of an on-going transformation of military prowess.
"If you don't have a dreamyou can't have a dream come true," Lord said, noting that military space hardware and personnel operating them are up and running 24/7 and 365 days a year.
Lord pointed to use of Global Position System (GPS) satellites in the Iraqi conflict to guide Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) and other smart bombs in combat. GPS provides all-weather navigation and targeting, playing a major role in wartime operations, he said.
"GPS puts the damn in JDAM", Lord said, stressing that the GPS constellation can't be maintained forever. "We've got to get on with GPS modernization, he added, particularly by increasing satellite signal strength and making them far more jam-proof.
Access to space
The Iraqi war has brought together an array of space capabilities in ways "we never thought we could do," Lord said.
Regarding access to space, Lord said efforts are now underway to look beyond the newly christened Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles - the Delta 4 and Atlas 5 boosters.
This week, Lord and NASA's Sean O'Keefe will meet to discuss spacelift alternatives. The discussion will focus on coordinating civil and military interests in future access to space.
In a closing remark, the Air Force Space Command leader said: "If you're not in space, you are not in the race."
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