COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- During a Space Senior Leader and Stakeholder Roundtable hosted by the Space Foundation on April 12, U.S. Space Force Brig. Gen. Casey M. Beard, deputy commander of U.S. Space Force Combat Forces Command, and other leaders from across the U.S. government discussed the need for robust Space Control. The consensus was clear – the need for Space Control is no longer a future problem but a present-day reality driven by the direct and growing threat posed by the counter-space capabilities of strategic competitors.
“We have a Service that is exclusively dedicated to the doctrine, the organization, the training, and leadership, to prosecute our reason for being – to contest and control the domain,” stated Beard.
Panel members emphasized the urgency of the situation, noting that adversaries are actively developing and deploying weapons to target U.S. space assets.
“Competitor nations are aggressively pursuing and fielding capabilities that are designed to counter our space capabilities,” Beard confirmed.
To meet this challenge, the Space Force is enhancing their concepts for offensive and defensive operations. “We need counterspace capability to deter a space conflict, and fight and win if necessary. We don't want to use them, but if we do, we will succeed. We will not fail.”
This new sense of urgency is fueled by Space competition with a determined adversary, a deep and growing public dependence on space, and the critical need to build national awareness and support. While the intricacies of Space Control may seem distant to the average citizen, the consequences of inaction are not.
Beard affirmed the panel’s consensus on the American objective, “we will gain and maintain space superiority for long-term peace and prosperity for ourselves and our allies,” he said.
Achieving this priority requires not just military readiness, but a united national will to secure our future in the high ground of space.