Tag: General Jay Raymond

Space Force’s Use of Directed Energy Weapons to Maintain Space Superiority

July 10, 2021                                                                 (bollyinside.com)

• According to a Space Force spokesperson, General Jay Raymond Chief of Space Operations for Space Force has stated that China and Russia have directed energy weapons capabilities that are designed to damage or destroy our satellites. Rep. Jim Langevin, (D-R.I.), asked Gen. Raymond whether the United States was adequately developing a directed energy portfolio “for space dominance”. “Yes sir, we are,” Raymond responded. “We have to be able to protect these capabilities that we rely so heavily on.”

• Space Force, and the Air Force before it, have always been secretive about what Anti-Satellite (ASAT) weapons the U.S. military has or is developing. The one with the most public details is the Counter Communications System, a transportable system that can jam enemy satellites. The U.S. also has missiles that can reach satellites in low Earth orbit.

• “[T]he context of the statements …certainly leave the door open to non-kinetic defensive space capabilities of some kind,” said Todd Harrison, director of the CSIS Aerospace Security Project. “[O]n-board electronic countermeasures, such as ‘laser dazzlers’ and ‘radar jammers’, can be an effective way to defend satellites against certain types of kinetic attacks. And it has the advantage of protecting satellites without producing space debris.” Raymond’s comments didn’t rule out these types of weapons.

• The U.S. government has cited the development of ASAT weapons by China and Russia as a justification for the creation of Space Command and Space Force Since their establishment, military space leaders such as US Space Command’s Gen. James Dickinson have been quick to criticize foreign ASAT development and testing. Perhaps more concerning is a mysterious Russian satellite that has shown the ability to fire a projectile in space which Gen. Raymond refers to as an ‘on-orbit weapon system’.

• The Missile Defense Agency has explored using space-based lasers to intercept ballistic missiles, but Space Force has been mum on what weapon systems — conventional or directed energy — it is developing to protect its satellites or defeat enemy satellites. Raymond’s acknowledgement at the hearing might be the first time he’s publicly confirmed that directed energy systems are under development.

• “Russia has made space a war-fighting domain by testing space-based and ground-based weapons intended to target and destroy satellites. This fact is inconsistent with Moscow’s public claims that Russia seeks to prevent conflict in space,” said Dickinson. “Space is critical to all nations. It is a shared interest to create the conditions for a safe, stable and operationally sustainable space environment.”

• The U.S. has invested heavily in building passive defenses, but it is less forthcoming on its active defenses. Other nations are less secretive. France has stated that it could equip its satellites with weapon, possibly lasers, to defend themselves from adversaries.

• Earlier this year, the Center for Strategic and International Studies suggested that Space Force develop orbital laser weapons to defend American satellites. A CSIS report titled: “Defense Against the Dark Arts in Space” lays out the various types of ASAT weapons and describes several ways that Space Force could defend against them, including passive defenses like building a redundant space architecture that could survive the loss of one or even multiple satellites; and active defenses such as satellite-mounted lasers that could blind incoming threats.

 

                 General Jay Raymond

“Yes sir, we are,” Raymond responded, suggesting that they discuss the issue in more detail in a classified setting. “We have to be able to protect these capabilities that we rely so heavily on.” Noting that directed-energy systems could be a possible defensive tool for American satellites, Rep. Jim Langevin, D-R.I., asked Chief of Space Operations Gen. Jay Raymond whether the United States was adequately developing a directed energy portfolio “to be an effective capability for space dominance.”

In a statement to C4ISRNET, a Space Force spokesperson said, “General Raymond

             Gen. James Dickinson

has stated many times that China and Russia have directed energy capabilities that are designed to damage or destroy our satellites. His response to Congressman James Langevin’s question was confirming that our architecture developments in the face of these threats are appropriate.” However, the Space Force — and the Air Force before it — have always been secretive about what ASAT weapons the U.S. military has or is developing. The one with the most public details is the Counter Communications System, a transportable system that can jam enemy satellites. And while the Air Force is developing laser weapons, it’s

Todd Harrison

not clear what plans — if any — there are to attach them to space systems or direct them at enemy satellites. The U.S. also has missiles that can reach satellites in low Earth orbit.

    Rep. Jim Langevin

“Russia has made space a war-fighting domain by testing space-based and ground-based weapons intended to target and destroy satellites. This fact is inconsistent with Moscow’s public claims that Russia seeks to prevent conflict in space,” said Dickinson after a Russian ASAT test in December. “Space is critical to all nations. It is a shared interest to create the conditions for a safe, stable and operationally sustainable space environment.” Reports from the intelligence community and observers have highlighted the development of kinetic weapons — such as those mentioned above — as well as non-kinetic weapons — such as ground-based jammers or laser systems that can effectively blind satellite sensors — by nations deemed American adversaries.

 

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Pentagon Officials Preparing to Launch ‘Space National Guard’

Article by Mark Moore                                                May 5, 2021                                              (nypost.com)

• Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, told members of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee on Tuesday that he, acting Air Force Secretary John Roth and Space Force’s commander General Jay Raymond are expected to brief Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on creating a Space National Guard. Hokanson said that the Space National Guard was part of a “two-component construct” that would also include active-duty and Reserve Space Force. The creation of a Space National Guard would come two years after President Trump officially launched the Space Force in 2019.

• “National Guard space units have provided operational, unit-equipped, surge-to-war capability to protect our nation’s vital interests in this contested domain,” he told the Congressional panel. The Air National Guard has space units in Alaska, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, New York and Ohio as well as Guam. Hokanson pointed out that National Guard units have been involved with space missions for 25 years, and supply the Space Force with 11 percent of its professionals.

• But some lawmakers questioned the cost of such an endeavor. Committee Chair Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) told Hokanson that she would need to see a cost breakdown, an effort to distribute guard units in all 50 states, and the cross-utilization of existing Air Force facilities. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the Defense Department would have to pick up about $100 million in additional costs of transferring Air National Guard and Army National Guard personnel to the Space National Guard.

 

            Gen. John “Jay” Raymond

Pentagon officials are poised to launch a separate Space National Guard — the

                  Gen. Daniel Hokanson

second military foray into the realm since former President Donald Trump established the Space Force in 2019, according to a report.

Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, told a House committee on Tuesday that creating a Space National Guard is “among my most pressing concerns,” Politico reported.

“I believe we’re fairly close on that,” Hokanson told members of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.

He said the Space Force’s commander, Gen. Jay Raymond, and acting Air Force Secretary John Roth back a “two-component construct” that would combine active-duty and Reserve Space Force along with a Space National Guard.

acting Air Force Secretary John Roth

The three are expected to brief Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on the initiative.

              Betty McCollum (D-Minn.)

The creation of a Space National Guard would come two years after Trump officially launched the Space Force — the first new military service in 70 years.

Hokanson said National Guard units have been involved with space missions for 25 years, and supply the Space Force with 11 percent of its professionals.

“National Guard space units have provided operational, unit-equipped, surge-to-war capability to protect our nation’s vital interests in this contested domain,” he told the panel in prepared remarks.

The Air National Guard has space units in Alaska, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, New York and Ohio as well as Guam, he said.

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US & Russia Discuss How to Avoid Tensions in Space

Article by Jacqueline Feldscher                                          March 24, 2021                                           (politico.com)

• Despite the fact that the two nations’ civilian space programs work closely together on the International Space Station, the US and Russia have had multiple skirmishes in space. In February 2020, Chief of Space Operations General Jay Raymond announced that a pair of Russian satellites was following a US space satellite too closely in orbit. In July, Raymond condemned a Russian weapons test designed to blow up assets in orbit.

• Space Force leaders have emphasized the importance of drafting international norms of behavior in space to ensure all nations can operate safely. Space Force’s Maj. Gen. DeAnna Burt said that officials from the Pentagon and State Department are drafting language to send to the U.N. on responsible space behavior.

• On March 23rd, at Washington’s request, representatives from the US and Russia held an online video meeting to discuss responsible behaviors in space. It is unclear, however, who from the US participated in the discussion with Russia. A senior Biden administration official said, “It is a shared interest of all nations to act responsibly in space to ensure the safety, stability, security, and long-term sustainability of outer space activities.”

• The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement saying that the video meeting covered “a wide range of issues related to the security of space activities.” Both Russia and the US say they want to hold future meetings to make progress on the topic. “We look forward to future discussions to build mutual trust with Russia and other space-faring nations to work toward responsible norms of behaviors in space,” the unnamed senior administration official said.

 

            Gen. John “Jay” Raymond

Representatives from the U.S. and Russia met on Tuesday to discuss responsible

             Maj. Gen. DeAnna Burt

behaviors in space, a senior administration official told POLITICO.

Washington requested the meeting, the official said, adding that the discussion was “at a technical level.”

Tensions in orbit: The U.S. and Russia have had multiple skirmishes in space, despite the fact that the two nations’ civilian space programs work closely together on the International Space Station. In February 2020, Chief of Space Operations Gen. Jay Raymond announced that a pair of Russian satellites was closely following a U.S. space satellite in orbit, a behavior he called “unusual and disturbing.”

More recently, Raymond condemned a Russian test of a weapon in July that is designed to blow up assets in orbit.

Space Force leaders have emphasized the importance of drafting international norms of behavior in space to ensure all nations can operate safely. Maj. Gen. DeAnna Burt, the commander of U.S. Space Command’s combined force space component, told Space News last month that officials from the Pentagon and State Department are drafting language to send to the U.N. on responsible space behavior.

The meeting: It’s unclear who from the U.S. participated in the discussion with Russia.

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Space Force Sets Priorities to Prevent Future Space War & Maintain U.S. Dominance

On November 9, General Jay Raymond, the U.S. Space Force’s Chief of Space Operations, released a foundational document outlining the new military service’s priorities and management practices for the U.S. to remain ahead of its major adversaries in space. The 12-page document, “Chief of Space Operations Planning Guidance” (CPG), makes clear that space is now viewed as a “warfighting domain”, and that in order for the U.S. to maintain dominance and deter hostile actions, it needs to take immediate action to integrate, equip, train, and organize its military space assets.

General Raymond warns about the danger posed by major adversaries, such as China and Russia, that have developed sophisticated anti-satellite technologies capable of disrupting or destroying the U.S. satellite grid. Such a possibility was first outlined in a January 11, 2001, Space Commission Report, chaired by former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, warning about a “Space Pearl Harbor” and the need for a new military service to prevent it

 General Raymond begins his Planning Guidance document by explaining how space has shifted from a benign security environment to one where warfare can be expected in the near future:

The Space Force has a mandate in national strategy, policy, and law to be both pathfinder and protector of America’s interests as a space-faring nation. The convergence of proliferating technology and competitive interests has forever re-defined space from a benign domain to one in which we anticipate all aspects of human endeavor – including warfare. The return of peer, great power competitors has dramatically changed the global security environment and space is central to that change (CPG, p.1).

According to the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, space was considered to be a peaceful domain for scientific exploration. No country was allowed to station military forces or weapons in space, the Moon, or other celestial objects. General Raymond is here acknowledging that recent developments such as Russia and China’s deployment of a range of anti-satellite weapons systems mean that space is no longer a benign environment, and that preventative military measures need to be taken.

He goes on to explain how the Space Force can prepare for future warfare in space:

The United States Space Force is called to organize, train, equip, and present forces capable of preserving America’s freedom of action in space; enabling Joint Force lethality and effectiveness; and providing independent options – in, from, and to space… While we will extend and defend America’s competitive advantage in peacetime, the ultimate measure of our readiness is the ability to prevail should war initiate in, or extend to space (CPG, p.1).

Deterring major adversaries from launching military hostilities is explained as a key priority in order not to lose U.S. space dominance:

America needs a Space Force able to deter conflict, and if deterrence fails, prevail should war initiate in or extend to space. Space capabilities enhance the potency of all other military forces. Our National leadership requires resilient and assured military space capabilities for sustained advantage in peaceful competition, or decisive advantage in conflict or war….

The change in the geo-strategic and operating environment that compelled the creation of the Space Force means that many of our legacy space capabilities must be reevaluated for ongoing relevance. Let me be clear – if we do not adapt to outpace aggressive competitors, we will likely lose our peacetime and warfighting advantage in space (CPG, p.2).

China and Russia are both viewed as the primary adversaries capable of militarily destroying the U.S. satellite grid in a future war or in a surprise attack, a Space Pearl Harbor:

Chinese and Russian military doctrines indicate they view space as essential to modern warfare, and view counterspace capabilities as potent means to reduce U.S. and allied military effectiveness. Modern Chinese and Russian space surveillance networks are capable of finding, tracking, and characterizing satellites in all earth orbits. Both Russia and China are developing systems using the electro-magnetic spectrum, cyberspace, directed energy, on-orbit capabilities, and ground-based antisatellite missiles to destroy space-based assets (CPG, p.2).

 From the perspective of China’s Communist Party leadership, as I explain in Rise of the Red Dragon (2020), China is merely catching up to what the United States (and Russia) had already secretly developed and deployed in space decades earlier.

Not surprisingly, General Raymond emphasizes developing breakthrough space technologies in dealing with potential military conflict:

Space Force will use strategic investments to cultivate a strong, diverse and competitive American space industrial base. Civil and commercial developments that pave the way for exploration and commercialization beyond near-Earth orbit will both generate technology that benefits the USSF and require an order of magnitude expansion of our ability to sense, communicate and act to protect and defend American interests in cis-lunar space and beyond. (CPG, p.9).

General Raymond is here suggesting major aerospace defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, Boeing, etc., will play vital roles in developing breakthrough space technologies that can be used to deter adversaries in space. While development of breakthrough space technologies is framed as a future need, the reality is that such technologies have already been secretly developed by major aerospace companies. The produced technologies have been subsequently sold off to different “customers” such as U.S. military commands, intelligence agencies, and major allies for decades.

Extensive testimonial and documentary evidence is presented in my Secret Space Programs book series showing how the U.S. Air Force and the Navy developed separate secret space programs in response to earlier developments in Nazi Germany that carried over into the post-war era. As a result of decades-long cooperation with major corporations in reverse engineering captured Nazi and alien spacecraft, advanced anti-gravity spacecraft and electromagnetic weapons systems were developed and deployed by different entities within the US national security establishment.

The critical requirement for gaining access to such breakthrough aerospace technologies by a U.S. military service, combatant command, or intelligence agency was to demonstrate a clear need for such advanced technologies for completing space-related missions.

As long as space was considered a benign environment, then this favored the acquisition of reverse-engineered technologies by intelligence services or special operations groups that used space for intelligence gathering or small-scale covert operations. The bulk of breakthrough aerospace technologies would consequently go to defense intelligence entities such as the National Reconnaissance Office, CIA, Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, and covert groups such as Air Force Special Operations and Special Operations Command.

Even U.S. Space Command (1985-2002) and Air Force Space Command (1982-2019) would be  limited in how much access they had to such breakthrough “black world” technologies as acknowledged in a comprehensive 1996 Intelligence Commission report to the US Congress:

Two organizations within the Department of Defense manage space assets: the U.S. Space Command (SPACECOM) is responsible for so-called “white world” satellites (i.e., satellites that are publicly acknowledged) for military programs, and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) deals with “black world” (i.e., classified) satellites for intelligence programs. SPACECOM launches and operates satellites for military communication, weather and navigation, which are designed and procured by the military services. NRO designs, acquires, launches, and operates classified reconnaissance satellites.

The Pentagon’s Joint Chiefs of Staff and the unified combatant commanders, with the notable exceptions of Special Operations Command and (Air Force) Space Command, were largely denied access. This was because major military space operations were deemed unnecessary due to space being considered a benign environment, and such operations violating international space law.

All that changes with General Raymond’s Planning Guidance document, which expands upon President Donald Trump’s earlier Space Policy Directive 4 which made space a hostile environment requiring defense of America’s space assets. Space is now considered a war fighting domain where large scale military operations may be necessary to protect the U.S. satellite grid. This means that breakthrough corporate technologies that previously were denied to the different military services due to their high-level security classification and international space law constraints, are now permitted either through Space Force (which incorporates the former USAF Space Command) or U.S. Space Command, both of which were respectively created or reconstituted in 2019.

General Raymond emphasizes the haste with which these advanced technologies should now be incorporated into Space Force and for immediate action to be taken to protect the U.S. satellite grid:

The strategic environment demands we act boldly now to build a Service designed to act with speed and decisiveness to ensure the United States maintains its advantage in the domain….This CPG identifies those characteristics and capabilities within the force that must evolve. We do not have the luxury of delay for further analysis. (CPG, p.9).

Raymond’s thinking is mirrored in recent statements by the Secretary of the U.S. Air Force, Barbara Barret, calling for declassifying many space technologies kept hidden from the general public and even from different elements of the Air Force itself. On December 7, 2019, she declared:

Declassifying some of what is currently held in secure vaults would be a good idea… You would have to be careful about what we declassify, but there is much more classified than what needs to be.

In conclusion, redefining space as a warfighting domain means that formerly highly classified technologies developed by corporations and military laboratories for exclusive use by the intelligence and special operations communities will be acquired by Space Force. These advanced space technologies will be made available for large scale deployment in future space combat operations.

The release of General Raymond’s “Planning Guidance” document makes it highly likely that soon after Space Force is fully set up by May 2021 (the end of its 18 months set up period), we are likely to witness the official disclosure of multiple highly classified aerospace technologies, including anti-gravity propulsion systems, acquired by Space Force. The release of such advanced technologies will revolutionize the civilian transportation industry and military defense and take our planet into an exciting but dangerous new age.

© Michael E. Salla, Ph.D. Copyright Notice

[An audio version of this article is available here]

Further Reading

Space Force Details Structure of New Service

Article by Christen McCurdy                                  June 30, 2020                                (upi.com)

• Since the military branch’s inception in December 2019, more than 16,000 military members and civilians have been assigned to the Space Force, including over 8,500 active-duty members of the Air Force who have volunteered for Space Force. Said Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett, “This is the most significant restructuring of space units undertaken by the United States since the establishment of Air Force Space Command in 1982,”

• General Jay Raymond, USSF Chief of Space Operations said in a June 30th press release, “This is an historic opportunity to launch the Space Force on the right trajectory to deliver the capabilities needed to ensure freedom of movement and deter aggression in, from and to space. How we organize the Space Force will have a lasting impact on our ability to respond with speed and agility to emerging threats in support of the National Defense Strategy and Space Strategy.”

• Under the new organizational structure, Space Force will be comprised of three field commands: the Space Operations Command (aka ‘SpOC’); Space Systems Command (aka ‘SSC’); and Space Training and Readiness Command (aka ‘STARCOM’).

• Space Operations Command is the “field command” comprised of commands, deltas and squadrons. The field organization would “consolidate and align all organize, train and equip mission execution” from space-related units formerly run by the Air Force. It will be headquartered at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado.

• Space Systems Command will be responsible for launch, developmental testing, on-orbit checkout and maintenance of USSF systems. It will also be responsible for developing and acquiring lethal space capabilities for warfighters.

• Space Training and Readiness Command will train and educate space professionals and develop combat-ready troops to address the challenges of combat in space.

• “Innovation and efficiency are driving our mission as we position the Space Force to respond with agility to protect our nation’s space capabilities and the American way of life,” said Barrett.

 

           Gen. John “Jay” Raymond

June 30 (UPI) — The Space Force will be comprised of three field commands, with many of the Air Force’s existing space acquisition organizations being moved into a newly created Space Systems Command, the service announced on Tuesday.

Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett

USSF officials said the field organization would “consolidate and align all organize, train and equip mission execution” from space-related units formerly run by the Air Force.

“This is an historic opportunity to launch the Space Force on the right trajectory to deliver the capabilities needed to ensure freedom of movement and deter aggression in, from and to space,” Gen. Jay Raymond, USSF chief of space operations, said in a press release. “How we organize the Space Force will have a lasting impact on our ability to respond with speed and agility to emerging threats in support of the National Defense Strategy and Space Strategy.”

The USSF field echelons will be called, in order of hierarchy, field commands, deltas and squadrons.

The service’s field commands will be called Space Operations Command, or SpOC, Space Systems Command, or SSC, and Space Training and Readiness Command, or STARCOM.

The first two field commands will be led by three-star general officers, and the third will be led by a two-star general.

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