Space Force Gen. John W. "Jay" Raymond, chief of space operations, spoke today about the Space Force at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics conference.
"We anticipate adversaries will try to degrade or destroy our space capabilities, denying the advantages that they provide," he said, mentioning Russia and China, which have cyber jammers, lasers and missiles that can take out satellites.
To better compete, the command places a premium on speed. "We know a conflict that begins or extends into space over vast distances at tremendous speeds." he said, noting that anti-satellite missiles can reach low-Earth orbit in a matter of minutes, moving at speeds of over 17,500 mph.
Raymond also mentioned that big organizations move slowly, and the Space Force and Space Command have to stay "lean, agile and fast."
And, the Space Force has also shortened the decision-making process by removing unnecessary layers of bureaucracy and shortening the acquisition process, he added.
For instance, this year, the service brought in 50 software coders and then secured over 6,000 licenses to be used for defense software innovation.
What is Raymond's next goal? "Our vision for a digital service should be out soon. Beyond our workforce, we aim to build a digital headquarters that designs and executes digital operations because we know there's power in data, information and software," he said.
Raymond said another goal is to improve partnerships with the other services, the intelligence community, allies, partners and the commercial sector. Historically, DOD space organizations have not had the number of partnerships as other domains such as land, air and sea, he said, adding "This has to change."
He added, "This is an exciting and critical period for our country in space. As a spacefaring nation, we are strongest when the domain is secure and stable, accessible to enterprising Americans for scientific and economic reasons."