Space capabilities highlighted in second annual CENTCOM Theater Space Forum
UNDISCLOSED LOCATION, Southwest Asia (AFNS) -- U.S. Space Forces Central hosted the second annual U.S. Central Command Theater Space Forum recently, bringing together over 140 space experts from all five branches of the Defense Department, multiple combatant commands and partner nations.
The forum provided an opportunity for SPACECENT to share lessons learned from current operations in the region. Participants created working groups that enhanced capabilities, established processes for intra and extra-command operations, and strengthened collaboration. The working groups allowed the teams to leverage the collective expertise of participants and forge new relationships.
As the U.S. and partner nations seek to maintain stability in the region, SPACECENT’s Guardians provide a range of capabilities that Defense Department and partner-nation attendees learned about first-hand in the forum.
For example, Space Force provides the GPS used for naval and aerial navigation, enabling commercial shipping of vital cargo such as humanitarian aid. Space Force Guardians also support missile warning systems which have been key to Operation Prosperity Guardian defending freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, along with Operation Inherent Resolve’s defeat Daesh mission.
Guardians work closely with international partners to integrate space activities into shared operations. Integrating space effects into a single team allows for increased speed and innovation in space-related operations supporting CENTCOM’s role in maintaining stability in the region explained SPACECENT commander Col. Christopher S. Putman.
“Space-based capabilities are woven into virtually all aspects of defense and commerce today, so it’s important we continually look for ways to improve,” Putman said. “Integrating with our partners helps us support them from a security standpoint. But engagement also provides the U.S. an opportunity to hear from and learn from our partners. They may have the next great idea, capability or technology that makes us even better in defense we weren’t thinking about. We’re always learning from each other.”