HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – The U.S. Army recognizes the critical importance of interoperability, partnerships, and next-generation technology in achieving space superiority. This was emphasized by Brig. Gen. Donald K. Brooks, deputy commanding general for operations at the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, during the Space and Missile Defense Symposium held on August 5.
Brig. Gen. Brooks outlined the Army’s proactive approach to evolving its culture and capabilities to better respond to emerging threats in both space and terrestrial domains.
“Within Space and Missile Defense Command, we’ve identified how to iterate faster, how to evolve our culture to shape innovation from our overarching strategy,” Brooks said, referencing the National Defense Strategy which guides the Army’s assessments of long-term threats.
In light of this strategic framework, the Army is in the process of rewriting its space strategy to create a comprehensive roadmap for manning, training, and education focused on space capabilities.
“We get feedback from warfighters, from the operational force, from experimentation, and the exercise elements. Feedback from our schoolhouses and Soldiers helps us stay on top of our training and education components,” Brooks noted.
This continual feedback loop is essential for ensuring that the Army remains agile and capable of meeting dynamic challenges, integrating responses quickly into systems and processes.
Strong capabilities in U.S. Space Command ensure vital support, providing personnel and expertise necessary for terrestrial interdiction and integration in the space domain.
“These capabilities are essential for warfighting and for ensuring freedom of action and maneuver within the space domain, while delivering combat power to the joint force,” Brooks stated.
Integration of space capabilities offers significant advantages to ground forces, enhancing Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) operations, precision targeting, communications, and the ability to counteract adversarial use of space.
Soldiers utilize these capabilities to deny, degrade, and disrupt enemy communications and operations, thereby securing a strategic advantage on the battlefield.
The Army is evolving its approach to space interdiction through the introduction of smaller, lighter, and more mobile systems.
Furthermore, the Army Space Training Strategy has been updated, ensuring that the importance of space capabilities is fully embedded within multi-domain operations both operationally and institutionally.
A key aspect of this integration involves sharing lessons learned across the services within Space Command, facilitating cooperation with intergovernmental, interagency, multinational, and commercial partners to foster asymmetric advantages.
Olympic Defender, a major initiative, focuses on global military space integration, enabling joint and allied forces to deter potential aggression and, if necessary, confront adversaries to maintain military advantage.
Brooks stressed the need for innovation to maintain this advantage.
“In our future, innovation is key. We can’t do it alone. If we encounter an adversary with extensive capabilities, we need to enhance efficiencies and work cooperatively across services,” he expressed.
He highlighted the need to counter adversarial capabilities through various means, focusing on both terrestrial and extraterrestrial applications and ensuring comprehensive readiness against evolving threats.
The success of the Olympic Defender initiative also hinges significantly on partnerships, with Brig. Gen. Brooks asserting that collaborations with allied nations cannot be overlooked.
“The partnerships between our allied nations and the U.S. provider are irreplaceable. Commercial industries working alongside their hosted nation militaries give us a technical advantage in space domain awareness,” he stated.
On a practical level, the Army is working closely with the British Army on target development, weaponeering, and electronic warfare operations, with plans to expand collaboration with nations including New Zealand, Australia, and Canada at the Space and Missile Defense School in the future.
The sharing of knowledge, lessons learned, and experiences among military personnel from the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, Canada, France, and Germany is vital for improving operational effectiveness.
“Space is the connective tissue of all warfighting functions,” Brooks affirmed, underlining its role in enhancing lethality, command and control, and overall warfighting effectiveness.
As the Army continues to navigate the complexities of modern warfare, Brooks emphasized that its strategies and actions are deeply dependent on robust partnerships across joint, intergovernmental, interagency, multinational, and commercial entities.
Ultimately, these collaborations will enable the Army to evolve quickly, delivering capabilities that are effective and relevant in ever-changing strategic landscapes.
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