Did space just get short-shrift at this week’s summit? Naming China as the No1 threat, U.S. military officials did just confirm the existence of on-orbit weapons and that it will prepare for combat on and around the moon. Or were there other less-sexy agenda items that directly affect the space industrial base? Laura Winter speaks with Dean Cheng, Senior Fellow, Potomac Institute for Policy Studies.
Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink reveals that the United States has placed weapons in orbit, and the new Space Force Chief of Space Operations, Gen. Douglas Schiess, lays out his priorities. Laura Winter speaks with Col. Charles Galbreath, USSF (Ret.), Director, Mitchell Institute Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence; and Col. Jennifer Reeves, USAF (Ret.), Senior Fellow at the same institution.
States are already vying to become the home of the White House’s proposed Space Academy, but what critical problem set should it solve? Do we really need it? This episode — Part 2 of this two-part series and following last week’s episode on the National Space Transportation Policy — focuses on the “Establishing the United States Space Academy” proclamation. Laura Winter speaks with retired Space Force Gen. David “DT” Thompson, the first Vice Chief of Space Operations; retired Space Force Lt. Gen. John Shaw, former Deputy Commander of U.S. Space Command; and Joel Mozer, first Chief Scientist of the U.S. Space Force.
Gen. Douglas Schiess just became the Space Force’s third Chief of Space Operations, but in the days before the transfer of responsibility, President Donald Trump signed two new pieces of space policy that, if leveraged correctly, could have strategic effects. In this Part 1 episode, three of the nation’s most experienced space professionals focus on the National Space Transportation Policy, best known for its goal of 1,000 launches a year by 2030.
Laura Winter speaks with retired Space Force Gen. David “DT” Thompson, the first Vice Chief of Space Operations; retired Space Force Lt. Gen. John Shaw, former Deputy Commander of U.S. Space Command; and Joel Mozer, first Chief Scientist of the U.S. Space Force.
While operating on the brink of a government shutdown has become the not-so-new normal, a fresh take on the Space Force’s FY 2027 budget request shows the service branch’s plan to normalize real growth through dramatic, yet targeted, programmatic increases. Laura Winter speaks with Sam Wilson, Director of Strategy and National Security, Center for Space Policy and Strategy, The Aerospace Corporation.
Companies rarely know how a military is using their satellites — and that blind spot could quietly turn commercial infrastructure into a legitimate target, putting the civilians and humanitarian workers who depend on that same infrastructure at risk. The International Committee of the Red Cross calls it a “knowledge gap.”
Laura Winter speaks with two representatives from the ICRC Regional Delegation for the U.S. and Canada — Jonathan Horowitz, Deputy Head of the Legal Department; and Laura Walker McDonald, Senior Advisor for New Technologies and Conflict.
The fact that the Chinese Coast Guard attacked Philippines vessels in three separate confrontations this week, may illustrate why the Space Force needs Guardians trained and equipped under Title 10 authorities to secure U.S. interests in orbit and on the Moon. Laura Winter speaks with retired Lt. Gen. Joseph “Gus” Guastella, former commander of U.S. Air Forces Central Command, now Executive Vice President of National Security, at Voyager Technologies; and retired Space Force Col. Charles Galbreath, Director of the Mitchell Institute’s Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence.
Lt. Gen. Douglas Schiess is on track to become the Space Force’s third Chief of Space Operations after a 44-minute confirmation hearing. Who is Schiess, and how has the CSO role evolved? Laura Winter speaks with retired Air Force Col. Jennifer Reeves, Senior Resident Fellow at the Mitchell Institute, and retired Air Force Col. Patrick Donley, Director of the Air & Space Forces Association’s Doolittle Leadership Center.
Ground stations, built by proxies of China’s People’s Liberation Army and Russia’s Roscosmos, can be found across Latin America, including three on Venezuelan military bases. Recent operations in and around Venezuela demonstrate that these strategically important adversarial space assets are now in the cross-hairs of the Trump Corollary. Laura Winter speaks with Namrata Goswami, Professor of Space Security, Schriever and West Space Scholars Program, Johns Hopkins University, and co-Author of the book “Scramble for the Skies: The Great Power Competition to Control the Resources of Outer Space.”
Save the eye-roll. There really are contracts and places where words “resilient” or “resiliency” drive the communications mission. Laura Winter speaks with Dr. Rajeev Gopal, Vice President of Advanced Programs, Hughes Defense.