The Air Force's highest ranking uniformed officer spoke on the value of space and the emerging medium of cyberspace during the Air Warfare Symposium and Technology Exposition on February 18 in Orlando. "Virtually all aspects of military operations are affected in some way by the capabilities provided from (space and cyberspace), and it's difficult to overstate their importance to the success of our Armed Forces," said General Norton Schwartz, the Air Force chief of staff.

"From precision navigation and timing, to global satellite communications, to space-based surveillance and missile warning, our space assets provide us with an unparalleled degree of accuracy, connectivity and situation awareness," the general said. "Our exploitation of cyberspace and advanced information technologies enable us and the Joint team to properly command and control our forces - binding virtually all of our advanced capabilities together into precise, increasingly networked, and better synchronized operations." Speaking to an audience of more than 500 attendees at the Air Force Association-hosted event, General Schwartz addressed the increased dependence on space and cyber, and the risk of that reliance.

"Because our nation's diverse interests — diplomatically, financially, economically and militarily — exist around the globe, we have an enduring need for robust space and cyber systems and the inherently globally-oriented capabilities that they afford," he said. "From an Air Force perspective, space and cyber power enable our ability to provide global mobility, global strike, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, communications, and many other critical capabilities on which the Joint team relies on us for operational effectiveness. Our substantial dependence on space and cyberspace creates vulnerabilities that are potentially exploitable by our adversaries; an outcome with profound strategic implications," he continued. "Therefore, our efforts to protect these interests in space and cyberspace must be as ambitious as our reliance on these domains. We must be able to deter and defend against attacks on our space and cyber capabilities, and fight through any degradation, disruption or even denial of these vital capabilities."

Threats to space and cyber capabilities pose some of the most significant challenges to the nation's national security, said the 1973 U.S. Air Force Academy graduate. Those who pose these threats must be deterred or, if necessary, compelled to stop. "Attacks on our space and cyber capabilities are potentially more consequential than what would occur from a purely military perspective," he said. "Because of this, we need to expand our definition of what constitutes a threat to our space and cyber capabilities. We must also consider a broader scope of adversaries," said the general who has more than 4,300 flying hours in Air Force aircraft. "The list includes not only rival nation-states, but also potentially any number of non-state, sub-national and even individual actors that can threaten the advantage we currently enjoy from space- and cyber-borne capabilities."

The general concluded his speech by calling attention to the people behind the highly-technical mission —- some 46,000 total force Airmen and contract employees "from acquisition to operations to logistics" — who are dedicated to supporting the space mission. "While space and cyberspace certainly showcase our innovation and advanced technology, let us not forget that it is our Airmen, through their daily professional efforts, who make it all happen." (Source: USAF website, Master Sgt. Ben Gonzales)