Air and Space Forces announce urgent changes to stay ahead of China
As the U.S. works to deter Chinese aggression, the Air and Space Forces expect to make major changes, such as standing up new commands, changing training and holding more complete exercises.
Secretary Frank Kendall described the need for the change Monday at the Air and Space Forces Association’s Warfare Symposium in Aurora, outlining how China is building up its military and has promised to invade Taiwan in 2027.
China is watching the U.S. support for Ukraine carefully to guide its military action, Kendall said.
“We abandon Ukraine at our own peril,” he said at the event, where about 1,800 military service members and industry professionals gathered.
Kendall emphasized the urgent need for modernization to be ready for a large-scale conflict, saying repeatedly: “We are out of time.”
Gen. Chance Saltzman, chief of space operations, outlined changes the Space Force, likening the transition to merchant marines becoming a Navy capable of warfare. Schriever and Peterson Space Force Bases in Colorado Springs will see some of the broad changes he described.
“We have to transform this service,” he said, noting that a merchant marine can’t be asked to fight without the right training and equipment.
He said he expected training for officers will bring together fields that used be segregated, such as cyber operations, satellite operations and intelligence.
The Space Force is also going to set up a new Space Futures Command with three centers that will help evaluate if guardians can fight in space. A new Concepts and Technology Center will evaluate future challenges and strategies. A new wargaming center will let guardians test and experiment with new technology. The new command will also incorporate the existing Space Warfighting Analysis Center that provides data analytics.
“We have to rewrite the standards for readiness centered around a contested domain,” Saltzman said.
To better integrate space capabilities into war, guardians will also be joining combatant commands to ensure the advantages space can offer aren’t added in after plans have been made, he said.
The Air Force is also planning for major change, including new warrant officer positions focused on IT and cyber fields — providing an niche for those who just want to “code for their country,” said Gen. David W. Allvin, chief of staff for the Air Force.
“We need those airman to be on the cutting edge and stay on the cutting edge,” he said.
The Air Force is also going to work toward more aligned training so airmen don’t need to relearn systems and tools when they move to new bases, he said. Officers will also see upgraded training before commissioning, he said.
Military exercises that bring together weapons and test real-world necessities, such as deploying with speed, are also set to be a focus, Allvin said.
“We need to understand critical capabilities. … Make sure we have the health on the shelf,” he said.
Allvin also announced a new Information Dominance Systems Center that will elevate the importance of capabilities like cyber and electronic warfare, he said.
The changes will likely have to be refined as they are rolled out, Allvin said, but modernization must happen now.
“If we wait to move to have those final answers, we will be too late,” he said.
Gen. B. Chance Saltzman assumes command of the Space Force by accepting the flag from Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall at the transition ceremony for the Chief of Space Operations at Joint Base Andrews, Md. Kendall and Saltzman were both key note speakers at the Air and Space Force Associations’ Warfare Symposium on Monday.