USSPACECOM Chief Highlights Link Between Space, Cyber Domains

Army Gen. James Dickinson, head of U.S. Space Command, said the organization’s mission is closely linked with that of U.S. Cyber Command. 

According to the general, USSPACECOM and USCYBERCOM share an operating environment and face similar cybersecurity threats, Air Force Magazine reported Tuesday.

“That’s why our two combatant commands are so closely aligned—that’s why together they strengthen the backbone of U.S. and allied combat power,” Dickinson said during a virtual event hosted by the McCrary Institute and George Washington University’s Policy Institute.

USSPACECOM is responsible for all military operations conducted above 100 km and supports the Department of Defense’s mission to excel in the space warfighting domain.

Dickinson previously said that a strong SPACECOM-CYBERCOM relationship is important for achieving digital superiority in both terrestrial and space operations.

During the July 27 virtual event, Dickinson said he fears that policy bureaucracy could slow the two combatant commands’ adoption of new technology. 

Space Command has announced plans to use more artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to maintain its digital superiority over adversaries. 

According to an Air Force Magazine report, one former DOD official believes that space and cyber are the two domains most likely to breed conflict from competition.

The Intelligence Community published a Global Trends report in April claiming that China will become the United States’ most significant rival in the space sector by 2040.

The IC’s National Intelligence Council said the rivalry between the two countries will likely come about as part of a broader technological race that is “inextricably intertwined” with geopolitics and economics.

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