At the Association of Old Crows conference in Maryland on Dec. 11, Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Matthew Glavy emphasized the importance of dominating space and space-based technologies to maintain an advantage in future wars. Glavy serves as the deputy commandant for information and was previously tapped to lead Marine Corps Forces Space Command, or MARFORSPACE.
Space-based capabilities already include sensing and spying satellites, communications relays, and navigation aids used by combatants on the ground, at sea, and in the air. The U.S. is not alone in its appreciation of space, as Russia and China, top national security threats, have been developing counter-space capabilities. In 2007, Beijing destroyed its own weather satellite in a demonstration of its growing space arsenal.
The U.S. must win the space domain, according to Glavy, as it is the most resilient capability and essential for tracking, targeting, and communication of military and intelligence satellites. The Space Force was established years ago, a sign that the U.S. Department of Defense takes the extraterrestrial more seriously.
