General explains what space brings to fight

(I-Newswire) April 19, 2005 - Space superiority is an important part of what is done in the U.S. Air Force and in the rest of the military, said Gen. Lance W. Lord.

Just as air superiority is required to protect the airspace over the battlefields, space superiority is critically important to protecting the on-orbit satellites that disseminate information which allows all aspects of military operations, General Lord said.

"Space control is the capability to make sure you maintain your space superiority," he said.

Space control focuses on three mission areas: situational awareness, the "fundamental underpinning" of space operations; defensive counterspace, or protecting U.S. assets; and offensive counterspace, used to maintain the ability to operate in the medium of space, the general said.

"(Space) is part of everything we do, economically and militarily, so it's important to protect that advantage," he said.

An important mission of space command is to support the joint warfighters executing the war on terrorism, General Lord said.

"You can't go to war and win without space," he said. "Space is critical to the conduct of operations. ... (Troops) use it, need it and depend on it."

Some of the ways servicemembers are using space while deployed include intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, communication, navigation systems and space-based weather, General Lord said. One significant contributor to the fight in Iraq has been space operators tracking friendly forces carrying special sensors and creating a visual image of their positioning, he said.

"In a couple of intense firefights in Iraq, we were able to save our troops because we were able to locate them and keep them out of harm's way," General Lord said.

The situational awareness that the system offers has another benefit.

"(The tracking) helps make sure we know where people are and helps eliminate the potential for friendly fire," he said.

The general emphasized the benefits that space technology offers to all services.

"What space has done for ground forces, especially air forces, land forces and sea forces, is given them that capability to maneuver faster, connect our communications, be more precise and, when we need to be, more lethal because of ... the accuracy of the Global Positioning System." he said "When you put that all together, it's really a tremendous capability."

Mentoring and maintaining communication with Airmen is extremely important, General Lord said.

"(Mentoring) is a powerful way to communicate and make sure people understand we care about who they are and what they do," he said.

The general said that in today's "point-and-click" world, face-to-face leadership and personal interaction is essential.

He said part of his leadership philosophy is taking care of the Air Force's 7,500 space professionals, developing them professionally and ensuring they are integrated with their colleagues.

"Air and space are equal partners in what we do," he said. "Everybody is important and contributes to the mission."

General Lord said he thinks the biggest threat to U.S. space superiority now is complacency.

"We may assume that the medium of space is not going to be contested," he said. "Space is transparent to the user (but) we don't want to take it for granted. ... If you're not in space, you're not in the race." (Courtesy of AFSPC News Service)


by 1st Lt. Elizabeth Culbertson
U.S. Air Forces in Europe Public Affairs

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