Gen. Lance Lord is set to step down as the had of Air Force Space Command at the end of this week, and his retirement is raising questions about the future of the command, including speculation that the command might be downgraded and commanded by a three-star general instead of a four-star like Lord. Sen. Wayne Allard (R-CO), co-chair of the Congressional Space Power Caucus, is concerned enough about those reports that he has sent a letter to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld expressing his opposition to any move along those lines, according to an online Space News article (subscription required). Allard is also concerned that the Space and Missile Command might be subsumed within the Air Force Materiel Command. Allard wonders if the DoD might be stepping back from recommendations in a 2001 report (chaired, ironically, by Rumsfeld prior to his nomination to be Secretary of Defense) that called for steps to enhance the profile of space within the Air Force. In a press release, Allard said he will bring up the issue with Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England at a budget committee hearing Thursday. “I intend to oppose any Air Force proposal that will result in a down grade of Air Force Space Command,” he said in the statement.
Better yet, how about he recommend AFSPC become it’s own service. Not that I’m holding my breathe on that, as the pilots who run the Air Force still cut space programs to pay for more airplanes against our new boogeyman (i.e. China).
I had no idea things were so bad that they wan’t to downgrade space within DOD. Why don’t they fix it instead of burying it?
Like change itself, you cannot legislate space out of existence, but you can certainly try…
Strange. I had heard rumors that there was a proposal in the Pentagon that Space Command would be merged into Air Combat Command, but didn’t give much thought to it until I read a confirmation blurb in Space News last night. I think Senator Allard might be mistaking Material Command with ACC, but if there are two separate proposals, with the only difference being where to can space, the space forces are certainly in trouble.
A US Space Force may well be the only way for American military space power to survive. Can we at least agree that this disgrace is proof positive that the USAF is a pathetic steward of space power?
On further reflection, I suppose the advantage of reducing space in rank is that it can have a more space literate leader, which is one of several changes badly needed.
Afterall, how many people who truly understand the medium of space ever made it past 1 star?
Merge it with Air Combat Command? You have got to be kidding me? What mind is thinking this stuff up!!
Maybe we should just blitz the members of the Space Power Caucus with emails, phone calls and letters to let them know that someone with a clue needs to step in?
The more I read about this, the more I am confident that the only way to keep space forces alive is to separate. Something must be done. Russia and China, heck even Japan has a branch devoted to space in their military. We, who are supposed to be the example and advanced in the world are behind in this area. Amazing
And since a new space leader is to be be chosen:
Leadership for new U.S. strategic directions
Worden, S P; Correll, R R
Space Policy. Vol. 21, no. 1, pp. 21-27. Feb. 2005
There is a hole in milspace where the space policy used to be. One paragraph on milspace in QDR is pathetic; the result of poorly chosen leaders and thinkers.
A retreat on milspace would be a retreat by default; that is unless anyone can explain to me why the new U.S. stategic direction for space should be inwards?
This is news? Many of us knew back in 2000 that USAF Space Command would –along with the Space Commands of the Army and Navy — eventually be placed under US Space Command. The US Space Command will come under USSTRATCOM. In the near future, all martial operations in space will be subsumed under a fifth branch of the military, which will be called the US Space Corps. Plans for this have been in the works for a decade.