COLORADO SPRINGS— The U.S. Space Force is finalizing a strategy document aimed at expanding international collaboration in orbit as the military branch seeks to prepare for operations in a contested domain.
Speaking April 9 at the Space Symposium, the service’s chief of space operations Gen. Chance Saltzman, said he will soon release an “International Partnership Strategy,” describing it as a framework to enhance collaboration with allies, improve interoperability, maximize information sharing, and secure collective interests in space.
“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Space power is the ultimate team sport,” Saltzman said during his address.
The strategy is currently in its final coordination steps, he said, and will be released in the coming weeks.
In his speech at the symposium, Saltzman shared some details of the forthcoming strategy.
The Space Force’s effort to increase international collaboration comes as both Russia and China have demonstrated advanced anti-satellite capabilities in recent years, raising concerns among U.S. defense officials about vulnerabilities in space-based systems that are critical for communications, intelligence gathering and missile warning.
Saltzman emphasized that the vastness and complexity of space operations make it impossible for any single nation to secure the domain alone.
“The space domain is too big, too complex, too dynamic for a single nation to secure alone,” he noted. Countering hostile actions against U.S. and allies in space, he said, “requires an extraordinary degree of trust, coordination and shared commitment among like-minded nations.”
“Cooperation with allies, partners, commercial entities is not just a good idea, it’s essential,” he added.
The new strategy comes as the Space Force, established in December 2019, continues to define its operational role and build out its capabilities amid growing recognition of space as a warfighting domain.
Building on existing efforts
The strategy builds upon initiatives already underway, including the appointment last summer of U.K. Air Marshal Paul Godfrey as assistant chief of space operations for future concepts and partnerships — the first time a non-U.S. officer has been integrated into such a senior position within the Space Force.
“His presence has created a daily reminder in the headquarters that we have to stay linked. We have to consider what our allies and partners might think,” Saltzman said.
He described the new strategy as providing “infrastructure for transforming policy into action, ensuring a unified, resilient approach to international space security.”
A key tenet of the strategy, he said, involves leveraging the comparative advantages of different partners.
“This is basic economics. Every one of our nations and organizations has something to contribute,” said Saltzman. “The trick is in focusing on areas where we have a comparative advantage. Maybe it’s space domain awareness or hosted payloads. Maybe it’s launch capacity, or even simple geography for a ground station.”
Interoperability challenges
The Space Force already shares space domain awareness data with allies and has established partnerships with countries including Norway and Japan on specific space missions.
However, Saltzman acknowledged that deeper integration will require overcoming significant obstacles, particularly regarding classified information.
“I’m not happy with our progress in declassifying information,” he said. “We need to go faster. We need to shift from the mindset of ‘need to know’ to one of ‘need to share.’ The barriers we face are complicated, but they’re not insurmountable.”
Preparing for conflict
Saltzman emphasized the importance of joint training exercises to ensure readiness for potential future conflicts.
“If we’re not tightly coupled in our training, if we’re not reconciling our operational concepts, if we’re not integrating our capabilities, we will have a very steep learning curve when called upon in crisis or conflict,” he said.
The strategy outlines plans to embed more allied personnel into U.S. force design processes “from the beginning,” while expanding joint exercises and personnel exchanges.
Regional success stories
As an example of successful partnership, Saltzman highlighted a Space Force unit in Tucson, Arizona, that works with allies in South America.
“With just a skeleton crew of guardians and airmen, the team has led 19 significant security cooperation initiatives across seven partner nations. They’ve helped install telescopes and op centers across the continent,” he said.
“And perhaps most impressive of all, the team has leveraged commercial capability to build out an enhanced domain awareness system” to share data, he added. “This is an incredible step forward in partner integration in South America.”
