The U.S. Department of Defense is warning Congress of continued military recruitment struggles as the country will enter the new year with its smallest fighting force since before World War II. 
Ashish Vazirani, the Pentagon’s acting undersecretary for personnel and readiness, told the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday that the Army, Navy, and Air Force missed their 2023 recruitment goals by a combined 41,000 personnel, The Daily Mail <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12869575/pentagon-biden-army-navy-marines-space-force-military-recruit-gen-z.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The annual defense authorization bill passed by Congress earlier this week stated that active-duty troops will drop to 1,284,500 in fiscal 2024, which is down by 64,000 troops over the past three years, giving the U.S. military its smallest force since 1940, <a href="https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2023/12/14/amid-recruiting-woes-active-duty-end-strength-to-drop-again-in-2024/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the Military Times. 
&#8220;That number understates the challenge before us as the services lowered end-strength goals in recent years, in part because of the difficult recruiting environment,” Vazirani said, adding that military recruitment is facing “one of its greatest challenges” since the last declared draft ended in 1973. 
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, expressed his concern over the decreasing military numbers.
“We need a larger force, in every branch. But the reality of recruiting is driving the numbers, not what we actually need,” Wicker told The Military Times. 
Some branches of the armed forces have gone to more extreme lengths recently to boost their recruitment levels. Earlier this year, the Navy <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/navy-hires-active-duty-drag-queen-to-combat-sinking-recruitment" target="_blank" rel="noopener">made</a> Yeoman 2nd Class Joshua Kelley, an active-duty sailor and drag queen, one of five Navy Digital Ambassadors in a pilot recruitment program. The Air Force <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/air-force-to-decrease-body-weight-standards-for-entry-as-americans-increasingly-too-fat-to-enlist" target="_blank" rel="noopener">made a move</a> in April to recruit more Americans into its ranks by decreasing weight standards. 
The strategies didn’t appear to work, as both the Navy and the Air Force are expected to be down thousands of airmen and sailors from its 2021 numbers. The Army is facing the largest recruitment problem out of the military branches as it’s down over 40,000 troops over the past three years. The Marine Corps, which along with the Space Force met its most recent recruitment goal, is still expected to be down by nearly 9,000 active-duty service members compared to fiscal year 2021. 
The Pentagon is seeking to change the direction of the military&#8217;s poor recruiting numbers by developing a message that &#8220;resonates&#8221; with young Americans, according to Vazirani.
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&#8220;While the picture of the current recruiting environment is acutely difficult, the Defense Department and the military services are working together to resolve issues, improve processes, and expand awareness of the many opportunities military service offers,&#8221; said Vazirani. &#8220;We must reach today&#8217;s youth where they are with a message that resonates with them and motivates them to act.&#8221;

Army Recruitment

Pentagon Warns Of Military’s Dropping Numbers Heading Into 2024 As U.S. Fields Smallest Fighting Force Since Before WWII

Pentagon Warns Of Military's Dropping Numbers Heading Into 2024 As U.S. Fields Smallest Fighting Force Since Before WWII

Marines

Military

Pentagon

U.S.

U.S. Air Force

U.S. Army

U.S. Military

U.S. Navy

United States Space Force

This article is adapted from today’s Morning Wire Afternoon Update. To listen to the podcast version, click <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/podcasts/morning-wire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/supreme-court-upholds-law-enabling-tribes-to-bar-non-native-families-from-adopting-native-children" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Supreme Court Upholds Indian Child Welfare Law</a>
On Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a challenge to a 1978 law that states Native American parents should have priority preference when Native American children are up for adoption. The Law was challenged by several non-Native American families, who argued that Congress had gone outside of its constitutional authority. In a 7-2 vote, the majority opinion was authored by Justice Amy Coney Barrett who ruled that, “Congress’s power to legislate with respect to Indians is well established and broad.” President Joe Biden praised the decision, saying, it kept in place &#8220;a vital protection for tribal sovereignty and Native children.”
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-government-agencies-hit-with-cyberattack-chinese-spies-breach-hundreds-of-networks-reports" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Federal Agencies Hacked</a>
Several U.S. federal government agencies were effectively hacked due to a vulnerability in a widely used software called “MOVEit.”  The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency confirmed to CNN that it “is providing support to several federal agencies that have experienced intrusions.” It’s unclear who is responsible for the attack.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/human-brains-skin-from-harvard-morgue-sold-on-black-market-feds-say" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Harvard Morgue Manager Accused Of Selling Body Parts</a>
Several people are accused of stealing and selling human remains from Harvard Medical School’s morgue.
A grand jury has indicted the morgue manager, 55-year-old Cedric Lodge, in the criminal plot, which, according to the complaint, lasted from 2018 to earlier this year. The federal complaint was filed in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where one of the defendants lives. Lodge allegedly allowed buyers to come into the morgue and pick and choose what remains they wanted to buy. He also allegedly stole parts of donated cadavers including brains, skin, and bones, took them home to his New Hampshire residence, and shipped them to buyers by mail. Six other people, including Lodge’s wife Denise Lodge and a mortician from Arkansas, have all been charged in the scheme.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/space-force-general-admits-shed-prioritize-gender-surgery-access-over-qualified-officers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Space Force General Admits She’d Prioritize Gender Surgery Access Over Qualified Officers</a>
Space Force Lt. Gen. DeAnna Burt is under fire for admitting during a recent Department of Defense Pride event that she would allow access to “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/missouri-governor-signs-bills-banning-transgender-treatments-for-minors-protecting-womens-sports">gender-affirming care</a>” to take priority over qualifications when deciding where to assign officers. 
Burt has gone viral in a video this week in which she explains how she handles several states that have passed laws <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nebraska-becomes-18th-state-to-ban-transgender-surgeries-on-children">banning transgender surgeries</a> — and in some cases, puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for minors. In the speech, Burt states that while she would normally consider job performance and qualifications before selecting officers for certain jobs, she also has had to consider whether her troops and their families would be comfortable taking jobs in certain states.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The <a href="https://twitter.com/DeptofDefense?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DeptofDefense</a> &quot;pride&quot; event last week gets more bizarre with scrutiny. 
Thread:
1. Here, LTG Burt openly admits she lets supposed concerns over &quot;anti-LGBTQ+ laws in a state&quot; about &quot;healthcare&quot; dictate personnel choices, even if it means choosing a less-qualified officer. <a href="https://t.co/O5zc2yku9P">pic.twitter.com/O5zc2yku9P</a>
&mdash; William Thibeau (@WilliamThibeau) <a href="https://twitter.com/WilliamThibeau/status/1668979208016494592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 14, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Rand Paul Plays Hardball For COVID Docs
Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky vowed on Thursday to block all nominees and legislation in the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions until key documents related to COVID and its origins are released. 
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Until such time as the majority decides it would like to cooperate with me in a bipartisan fashion to obtain the COVID documents necessary to conduct oversight, I will object to every piece of legislation and nominee coming out of this committee. <a href="https://t.co/stFn9SWtqU">pic.twitter.com/stFn9SWtqU</a>
&mdash; Senator Rand Paul (@SenRandPaul) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenRandPaul/status/1669352798411182081?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 15, 2023</a></blockquote>
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<a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/germany-to-buy-iron-dome-air-defense-system-from-israel/#:~:text=The%20Bundestag's%20budget%20committee%20released,Israel%2Dmade%20air%20defense%20system.&amp;text=BERLIN%20%E2%80%94%20Germany%20has%20the%20green,get%20its%20own%20Iron%20Dome." target="_blank" rel="noopener">Germany Getting Its Own &#8216;Iron Dome&#8217;</a>
The<a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/germany-to-buy-iron-dome-air-defense-system-from-israel/"> nation of Germany</a> is moving ahead to purchase new technology similar to Israel&#8217;s “Iron Dome” defense system. The Budget Committee of Germany’s National Parliament released its initial payment of €560 million toward the purchase of the Israel-made Arrow-3 air defense system. The purchase is part of the European country&#8217;s  €100 billion defense upgrade.
To listen to the audio version of this podcast, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/morning-wire/id1576594336" target="_blank" rel="noopener">click here</a>. And for more in-depth discussion of the biggest stories of the day, listen to the latest full episode of Morning Wire every morning.

Concord, NH – June 14: Former Harvard Medical School morgue manager Cedric Lodge, 55, shields his face with a printout of the indictment against him as he walked from the Warren B. Rudman United States Courthouse, following his arrest on charges related to an alleged scheme to steal and sell donated body parts.

Thursday Afternoon Update: Harvard’s Alleged Morgue Marauder, Rand Paul Plays Hardball For COVID Docs, Germany Getting Its Own ‘Iron Dome’

Thursday Afternoon Update: Harvard's Alleged Morgue Marauder, Rand Paul Plays Hardball For Covid Docs, Germany Getting Its Own 'Iron Dome'

Germany

Harvard

Morning Wire

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Supreme Court

United States Space Force Lt. Gen. DeAnna M. Burt admitted during a recent Department of Defense (DoD) LGBTQ+ PRIDE event that she would allow access to &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/missouri-governor-signs-bills-banning-transgender-treatments-for-minors-protecting-womens-sports" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gender-affirming care</a>&#8221; to take priority over qualifications when assigning officers.
Burt referenced several states that have passed laws <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nebraska-becomes-18th-state-to-ban-transgender-surgeries-on-children" target="_blank" rel="noopener">banning transgender surgeries</a> — and in some cases, puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones — for minors, and said that while she would normally consider job performance and qualifications before selecting officers for certain jobs, she had to also consider whether her troops and their families would feel safe in those assignments.
WATCH:
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The <a href="https://twitter.com/DeptofDefense?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DeptofDefense</a> &quot;pride&quot; event last week gets more bizarre with scrutiny. 
Thread:
1. Here, LTG Burt openly admits she lets supposed concerns over &quot;anti-LGBTQ+ laws in a state&quot; about &quot;healthcare&quot; dictate personnel choices, even if it means choosing a less-qualified officer. <a href="https://t.co/O5zc2yku9P">pic.twitter.com/O5zc2yku9P</a>
&mdash; William Thibeau (@WilliamThibeau) <a href="https://twitter.com/WilliamThibeau/status/1668979208016494592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 14, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Transformational cultural change requires leadership from the top, and we do not have time to wait,&#8221; Burt began. &#8220;Since January of this year, more than 400 anti-LGBTQ+ laws have been introduced at the state level. That number is rising and demonstrates a trend that could be dangerous for service members, their families, and the readiness of the force as a whole.&#8221;
&#8220;When I look at potential candidates, say for Squadron command, I strive to match the right person to the right job,&#8221; she continued, adding, &#8220;I consider their job performance and relevant experience first. However, I also look at their personal circumstances, and their family is also an important factor. If a good match for a job does not feel safe being themselves and performing at their highest potential at a given location, or if their family could be denied critical health care due to the laws in that state, I am compelled to consider a different candidate, perhaps less qualified.&#8221;
Space Force veteran Lt. Col Matt Lohmeier — who was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/space-force-officer-fired-for-blasting-marxism-in-military-we-were-taught-whites-inherently-evil" target="_blank" rel="noopener">relieved of command</a> after he said on a conservative podcast that Marxism was infiltrating the U.S. military — argued in a tweet that Burt had actually done what he was fired for doing.
&#8220;I was once fired from command in the @SpaceForceDoD for allegedly &#8216;being politically partisan while acting in an official capacity.&#8217; That allegation was totally false,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Lt. Gen. Burt here demonstrates what being politically partisan while acting in an official capacity really looks like.&#8221;
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
I was once fired from command in the <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceForceDoD?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpaceForceDoD</a> for allegedly “being politically partisan while acting in an official capacity.” That allegation was totally false. 
Lt Gen Burt here demonstrates what being politically partisan while acting in an official capacity really… <a href="https://t.co/cghkdMhsFn">https://t.co/cghkdMhsFn</a>
&mdash; Matt Lohmeier (@matthewlohmeier) <a href="https://twitter.com/matthewlohmeier/status/1669092020789612544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 14, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Burt&#8217;s comments suggest that the Defense Department — or at least the U.S. Space Force — is leaning into politics in a way that could potentially be more damaging to overall force readiness if she is truly willing to consider a service member&#8217;s access to transgender surgeries and hormones at a given duty station over their fitness for that particular job.
In the U.S. Army&#8217;s &#8220;<a href="https://www.army.mil/values/soldiers.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Soldier&#8217;s Creed</a>,&#8221; one line reads, &#8220;I will always place the mission first.&#8221; Burt&#8217;s statement suggests that catering to the LGBTQ+ community comes first, and the &#8220;mission&#8221; is secondary.

US-NEWS-MO-TRANSGENDER-HEALTHCARE-KC

Space Force General Admits She’d Prioritize Gender Surgery Access Over Qualified Officers

Space Force General Admits She'd Prioritize Gender Surgery Access Over Qualified Officers

Pride

Transgender

Astronomers believe the green laser beams spotted over the Hawaiian Islands last month came from a Chinese satellite.
The National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) said in a January 30 tweet that the space agency’s Subaru-Asahi Star Camera on Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii captured green laser lights in the cloudy sky over Maunakea, Hawai’i.
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On Jan 28, 2023, HST, Subaru-Asahi Star Camera captured green laser lights in the cloudy sky over Maunakea, Hawai`i. The lights are thought to be from a remote-sensing altimeter satellite ICESAT-2/43613. Watch the video:<a href="https://t.co/xqoJvSa24s">https://t.co/xqoJvSa24s</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SubaruTelescope?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SubaruTelescope</a> <a href="https://t.co/5hhIsewuNp">pic.twitter.com/5hhIsewuNp</a>
&mdash; Subaru Telescope Eng (@SubaruTel_Eng) <a href="https://twitter.com/SubaruTel_Eng/status/1620210575111327745?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 31, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Although the agency initially believed the lights came from a NASA remote-sensing altimeter satellite known as an ICESAT-2/43613, which <a href="https://www.cnet.com/science/space/those-weird-green-space-lights-over-hawaii-didnt-come-from-nasa/">CNET</a> described as NASA’s Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite-2 that shoots lasers at Earth to measure the surface of the planet.
Officials corrected the original statement on February 6, saying NASA scientists “did a simulation of the trajectory of satellites that have a similar instrument and found a most likely candidate as the ACDL instrument by the Chinese Daqi-1/AEMS satellite.”
“We really appreciate their efforts in the identification of the light,” NAOJ wrote. “We are sorry about our confusion related to this event and its potential impact on the ICESat-2 team.”
The University of Hawaii, Institute of Astronomy’s Roy Gal told <a href="https://ktla.com/news/nexstar-media-wire/chinese-satellite-beams-green-lasers-over-hawaii/">KHON2</a> the beams came from a Chinese satellite that measures pollutants, “among other things.”
“It has many different instruments on it … Some kind of topographical mapping or they’re also used for measuring stuff in Earth’s atmosphere, and I think that’s what it is, environmental measurement satellite.”
Gal added the U.S. has satellites performing the same tasks.
Still, China’s spacecraft does not pose a risk to the islands or locals as tensions between the U.S. and China rise amid spy satellites and other devices owned by the Chinese regime entering U.S. air space, which has prompted the deployment of U.S. military fighter jets several times to strike down the objects.
“No, it’s not a risk to Hawaii or anyplace else, too,” Gal said. ”We have aircraft making these measurements all the time. If you’ve seen topographical maps with high precision, those are made using sometimes this kind of thing.”
Ray L’Heureux, a former chief of staff of Marine Forces Pacific, told the news outlet aired a different opinion surrounding the laser beams.
“I’m not sure, and this is my opinion, why the Chinese — who are probably some of the most prolific polluters on the planet — would be collecting data on pollutants on this side of the Pacific,” L’Heureux said.
L’Heureux noted that due to the tensions between the U.S. and China, “people are a little antsy, and I think we just need to be a little bit more aware, vigilant.”
<iframe loading="lazy" title="A Rare View of the Green Laser Scan from the Space 2023-1-28 UT / 稀な宇宙からのレーザースキャンシーンを捉えた！マウナケアからの風景" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vn_PMiND4Yw?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Stargazing

Astronomers Say Chinese Satellite Beamed Green Lasers Over Hawaii

China

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NASA

A U.S. Space Force unit has been launched in South Korea as the nation seeks to increase its ability to monitor threats from North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un and others in the region.
The activation of the unit at Osan Air Base near Seoul follows a number of missile launch tests by North Korea which could be capable of striking the U.S. and its allies.
“Today marks the next milestone in strengthening our ironclad commitment to the U.S.-Korean alliance,” Lt. Col. Joshua McCullion, commander of the new unit, said in a <a href="https://www.usfk.mil/Media/Press-Products/Press-Releases/Article/3245492/space-force-activates-component-field-command-for-us-forces-korea/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>. “Our U.S. and Republic of Korea alliance was forged more than 70 years ago, as we stood shoulder-to-shoulder in war. With the world around us evolving, so, too, must we.”
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Our presence around the globe continues to grow! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PartnersinSpace?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PartnersinSpace</a> <a href="https://t.co/Xgt690fANE">https://t.co/Xgt690fANE</a>
&mdash; United States Space Force (@SpaceForceDoD) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceForceDoD/status/1603025013837369344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 14, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Gen. Paul LaCamera, the U.S. Forces Korea commander, presided over the ceremony to inaugurate the new operation.
“The activation here today of U.S. Space Forces Korea, a subcomponent of U.S. Space Forces INDOPACOM, enhances our ability to defend the homelands and ensures peace and security on the Korean peninsula and in Northeast Asia,&#8221; LaCamera said.
The Space Force mission will focus on missile warning operations, according to the unit&#8217;s description, which provides &#8220;in-theater near-real-time detection&#8221; and will warn of ballistic missile launches.
“Just 48 miles north of us exists an existential threat; a threat that we must be prepared to deter, defend against, and – if required – defeat,” McCullion said.
The announcement of a stronger U.S. presence in South Korea comes just weeks after the U.S. and South Korea fired several missiles in October following North Korea’s firing of a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-and-south-korea-use-militaries-to-respond-to-north-korea-firing-missile-over-japan-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ballistic missile</a> over Japan.
The Japanese government broadcast a warning after the missile launch. The missile eventually flew beyond Japan and landed in the Pacific Ocean. It marked the <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/nkorea-fires-missile-towards-east-skorea-military-2022-10-03/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fifth</a> missile launch in the 10-day period and was the 23rd launch since the start of the year.
In addition to ongoing threats from North Korea, the new U.S. Space Force unit will be located closer to China. The communist nation recently revealed its latest <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/milley-confirms-china-indeed-fired-hypersonic-missiles" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hypersonic weapon</a> technology.
The new unit also positions the U.S. closer to Russia, whose anti-satellite technology could pose a threat to American military technologies. As The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/space-is-a-warfighting-domain-u-s-space-force-activates-new-unit-within-branch" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>, Russia has jammed GPS signals throughout its conflict with Ukraine, targeting the U.S. military&#8217;s Navstar system of satellites.
In November 2021, the U.S. also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-rips-russia-for-missile-test-that-forced-space-station-astronauts-to-scramble-for-shelter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">criticized</a> Russia for conducting an anti-satellite missile test, which sent debris flying and prompted astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) to take refuge in their spacecraft.
“Russia has demonstrated a deliberate disregard for the security, safety, stability, and long-term sustainability of the space domain for all nations,” U.S. Army Gen. James Dickinson, U.S. Space Command commander, said in a <a href="https://www.spacecom.mil/Newsroom/News/Article-Display/Article/2842957/russian-direct-ascent-anti-satellite-missile-test-creates-significant-long-last/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CRussia%20has%20demonstrated%20a%20deliberate,Dickinson%2C%20U.S.%20Space%20Command%20commander." target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol <a href="https://www.stripes.com/branches/space_force/2022-12-14/space-force-command-south-korea-8415014.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> during a speech last month that he would “expand space security cooperation” with other countries, including the U.S. The nation continues to move forward with other plans for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/spacex-prepares-to-launch-first-private-japanese-mission-to-moon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">space exploration</a> as well, including a robotic moon landing in 2032 and an unmanned mission to Mars in 2045.
The Space Force was authorized in 2019 by then-President Donald Trump, creating the first new military service since the Army Air Corps officially became the U.S. Air Force in 1947.
The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and Central Command set up space units last month in Hawaii and Florida, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/us-forces-launch-space-unit-south-korea-amid-norths-growing-threats-2022-12-14/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to</a> Reuters.

Space Force

U.S. Space Force Launches Unit In South Korea As Northern Tensions Grow

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World

Now we&#8217;re cooking with oil. The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/military" target="_blank" rel="noopener">United States</a> Space Force <a href="https://www.spaceforce.mil/News/Article/3163735/space-force-reveals-official-song-semper-supra/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">revealed</a> its official song on Tuesday, and it should rev the engines of any red-blooded <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/american-history" target="_blank" rel="noopener">American</a> patriot.
Not only is it a great new tradition in our nation&#8217;s military history, but it also proves that critics of former President Donald Trump were embarrassingly wrong about his vision for the country — yet again.
The song, named after Space Force&#8217;s motto — &#8220;Semper Supra,&#8221; or &#8220;Always Above&#8221; — was <a href="https://www.spaceforce.mil/News/Article/3163735/space-force-reveals-official-song-semper-supra/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">revealed</a> during the 2022 Air &amp; Space Forces Association Air, Space and Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, according to a press release from the U.S. Air Force. Semper Supra was co-created by James Teachenor, a former member of the U.S. Air Force band at the Air Force Academy.
&#8220;The song was a long work in progress because I wanted it to encompass all the capabilities that the Space Force offers and its vision,&#8221; Teachenor said.
Chief of Space Operations General John &#8220;Jay&#8221; Raymond assisted in the development of the new battle hymn after former President Donald Trump created Space Force.
&#8220;This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to establish a Space Force song that will be part of our culture and heritage for years to come,&#8221; Raymond said. &#8220;Our traditions are part of the fabric that weave us all together as we execute our missions side-by-side; I will be proud to sing &#8216;Semper Supra&#8217; alongside my fellow Guardians.&#8221;
For cynics, it sounds silly, but stuff like this matters for the nation&#8217;s morale and self-esteem. Advancing the idea of American Exceptionalism is a noble one. It is important that we pass on to the next generation of Americans the notion that our country has done, can do, and will do great things that better mankind.
It is even better when those ideals are represented in institutions — such as with battle hymns for each nation&#8217;s military branch.
Beyond that, critics should remember that Trump was practically laughed out the door by Democrats, media, and Never Trumpers alike when he first suggested the very idea of Space Force. Then, he signed it into law. Netflix and Steve Carrell made a mediocre parody show about it. Even as it was working its way through the official process of becoming established, former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki made a sarcastic remark about.
In February 2021, a reporter <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/psaki-refuses-to-apologize-for-remarks-about-space-force-gives-false-impression-she-already-did-so" target="_blank" rel="noopener">asked</a> Psaki about the future Space Force, including whether President Joe Biden wanted to keep it.
“Wow. Space Force. It’s the plane of today,” Psaki responded arrogantly. “It is an interesting question. I am happy to check with our Space Force point of contact. I’m not sure who that is. I will find out and see if we have any update on that.”
In response, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), the House Armed Services Committee’s top Republican, demanded that Psaki apologize for the remark.
“It’s concerning to see the Biden administration’s press secretary blatantly diminish an entire branch of our military as the punchline of a joke, which I’m sure China would find funny,” Rogers said at the time. “The Space Force was passed with near unanimous support in Congress, the same type of ‘unity’ President Biden is supposedly working towards. Jen Psaki needs to immediately apologize to the men and women of the Space Force for this disgraceful comment.”
Of course, Americans now know that that &#8220;unity&#8221; was a farce. Biden considers MAGA Republicans, or a large portion of the country, to be threats to democracy itself. In the end, though, Trump has the last laugh as Space Force not only exists today, but has its very own hymn to go with it.
The song can be heard here:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The moment you&#39;ve all been waiting for: The Space Force has unveiled its official song <a href="https://t.co/v6CG3I4sYD">pic.twitter.com/v6CG3I4sYD</a>
&mdash; Dave Brown (@dave_brown24) <a href="https://twitter.com/dave_brown24/status/1572217257199128577?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 20, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The official lyrics are as follows:
<blockquote>SEMPER SUPRA 
The Official U.S. Space Force Song
 
We’re the mighty watchful eye, 
 Guardians beyond the blue, 
 The invisible front line, 
 Warfighters brave and true. 
 Boldly reaching into space, 
 There&#8217;s no limit to our sky. 
 Standing guard both night and day, 
 We&#8217;re the Space Force from on high.</blockquote>
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

LISTEN: Space Force Reveals Official Song. It’s Pretty Sweet.

LISTEN: Space Force Reveals Official Song

Donald Trump

Music

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/space-force">United States Space Force</a> announced that the military branch will forego annual fitness assessments and instead wear fitness devices tracking the guardians’ physical and mental health beginning in 2023.
Guardians have undergone an annual fitness assessment similar to Air Force members. But now, with the new approach, guardians will wear a smart ring or other wearable fitness devices, likely manufactured by Garmin and Oura.
The new method could change how military leaders evaluate service members in the future while still adhering to high performance levels.
&#8220;This program will promote not just physical fitness,&#8221; Patricia Mulcahy, the Space Force deputy chief of space operations for personnel, <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/08/02/space-force-ditches-fitness-tests-members-will-wear-trackers/">wrote</a> in a memo reviewed by NPR. &#8220;It will pair fitness with robust education on diet, sleep hygiene, and other physiological factors to promote social, mental and spiritual health as well.&#8221;
Chief Master Sergeant James Seballes, senior enlisted leader for Space Force&#8217;s Training and Readiness Command, told <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/07/22/1113067616/the-newest-branch-of-the-military-is-taking-a-different-approach-to-fitness">NPR</a> that the devices would not only maintain fitness goals, but the technology would also offer more analysis of the guardians&#8217; activity.
&#8220;Our standards really haven&#8217;t changed, right? We still are utilizing the Air Force [physical training] standards,&#8221; Seballes. &#8220;The difference is in our approach.&#8221;
He said fitness has often been used as a &#8220;go, no-go kind of thing.&#8221;
&#8220;You either have it, or you don&#8217;t,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I&#8217;ve known folks that can do all their [physical training] aspects and run a really fast mile and a half, but yet their eating habits are poor.&#8221;
&#8220;Their sleeping habits are poor. They&#8217;re not healthy,&#8221; Seballes added.
Patrick Hitchins, CEO of Austin-based FitRankings, which is building that platform for the Space Force, told NPR the tests have some dimensionality that favors one activity over others.
Maj. Gen. Shawn Bratton, commander of Space Training and Readiness Command, said, according to the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11074111/Space-Force-scraps-annual-fitness-tests-guardians.html">Daily Mail</a>, that he favors the modern digital approach, believing that it might encourage service members to take care of their health more.
&#8220;There&#8217;s increased responsibility on me, not just once a year to take a fitness test, for example, but maybe to exercise 90 minutes a week,&#8221; Bratton told NPR. &#8220;The ring helps me keep track of that as well as my sleep patterns.&#8221;
NPR reports the decision to change the branch’s fitness model comes after research showed some military members developed eating disorders or other behaviors depleting their health.
Lindsay Bodell, assistant professor of psychology at Western University in Ontario, told NPR that service members who fail to meet the military requirements could lead to unhealthy and extreme behaviors.
&#8220;Some of the negative consequences might just be kind of preoccupation with certain exercise regimes or fixation on numbers,&#8221; Bodell said. &#8220;Which could end up getting in the way of other activities.&#8221;
Until the new health assessment model replaces the old next year, the latest branch of the military&#8217;s 8,400 members must undergo one minute of pushups, situps, and a timed 1.5-mile run.

SpaceX and U.S. Space Force compound in Florida

U.S. Space Force To Forego Guardians’ Annual Fitness Tests, New Method Introduced

U.S. Space Force To Forego Guardians' Annual Fitness Tests, New Method Introduced

Health

Mental Health

With <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/china">China</a> and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/russia">Russia</a> orbiting threats on U.S. space assets and national security, America&#8217;s sixth and newest branch of the military activated a new unit within the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/space-force">Space Force</a>.
Space Delta 18, a moniker given to the unit in honor of the military branch officially becoming the 18th member of the U.S. Intelligence Community last year, launched during a ceremony last week at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
Guardians within the unit have taken on the responsibility of delivering critical intelligence on threat systems, foreign intentions, and activities in the space domain.
&#8220;Make no mistake,&#8221; United States <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/director-of-national-intelligence">Director of National Intelligence</a> Avril Haines <a href="https://www.space.com/space-force-delta-18-threats-orbit?utm_campaign=socialflow">said</a> at the Delta 18 ceremony. &#8220;Space is a warfighting domain today, and an ever-increasingly contested one at that.” She added that she cannot stress enough the importance of Space Force intelligence for America&#8217;s national security.
Haines <a href="https://www.dni.gov/index.php/newsroom/news-articles/news-articles-2022/item/2304-dni-haines-speaks-at-the-activation-of-the-national-space-intelligence-center">said</a> the Intelligence Center would position itself to support the U.S. and its allies in space at &#8220;an absolutely critical moment in the history of space development.&#8221;
&#8220;In the years ahead, the environment will only become more contested,&#8221; she said. &#8220;And as we move forward, [the center] will be relied upon to produce and analyze scientific and technical intelligence related to space for the entire nation.&#8221;
Haines recognized the possible threats to the space domain, including those posed by China and Russia as they develop, test, and field counterspace weapons, an official statement reads.
Recent reports show both China and Russia have used anti-satellite capabilities. Earlier this year, a telescope observed a defunct <a href="https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/44054/a-chinese-satellite-just-grappled-another-and-pulled-it-out-of-orbit">Chinese</a> navigation satellite get pulled out of its normal orbit into a &#8220;super-graveyard drift orbit,&#8221; which raised questions about how the Chinese maneuver the satellites closer to others. Meanwhile, <a href="https://www.space.com/russia-jamming-gps-signals-ukraine">Russia</a> has jammed GPS signals throughout its conflict with Ukraine, targeting the United State&#8217;s Navstar system of satellites.
President Trump took the nation by surprise when he announced the creation of the Space Force in 2018. While many were confused by its purpose, it would serve as he intended — to preserve and protect America&#8217;s satellites and vehicles in space for international communication and observation.
&#8220;It is not merely enough that we have American presence in space,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;We must have American dominance in space.&#8221;
Haines named Col. Marqus D. Randall the new commander of Space Delta 18, and said his &#8220;gifted leadership&#8221; would help the nation and its allies make better decisions about space.
Military officials said 345 civilian and military personnel would eventually staff the new command unit.

‘Space Is A Warfighting Domain’: U.S. Space Force Activates New Unit Within Branch 

‘Space Delta 18’: U.S. Space Force Activates New Unit Within Branch

Russia

China is developing a system to track asteroids that could be hurtling toward Earth.
One key part of the plan: should an asteroid be heading straight for Earth, the system would take it out, <a href="https://www.bloombergquint.com/politics/china-plans-system-to-take-out-asteroids-hurtling-toward-earth">according</a> to Bloomberg News.
&#8220;To test the system, China intends to send a spacecraft toward an asteroid in 2025 or 2026 to study it and then change its course,&#8221; the news agency reported, citing Wu Yanhua, deputy director of the China National Space Administration.
&#8220;China’s aspirations for its space program have ramped up tensions with the U.S. The two sides have sparred over SpaceX satellites that Beijing said came dangerously close to its space station, prompting the government of the Asian nation to criticize SpaceX in a memo to a United Nations committee that oversees operations in space. Earlier this month the Pentagon said China and Russia continue to deploy weapons that can attack U.S. satellites,&#8221; Bloomberg reported.
The U.S. space agency began a mission late last year, launching spacecraft that is expected next month to intercept and deflect a pair of asteroids far out in deep space to keep them from threatening Earth.
Dubbed the DART Mission, or the Double Asteroid Redirection Test, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) sent a spacecraft to a pair of asteroids — the Didymos binary — on November 24 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
If all goes as planned, DART will smash into one of the two asteroids, known as Didymoon, at roughly 13,500 mph nearly a full year later, between September 26 and October 2, 2022.
Didymoon is more than 500 feet wide and orbits a much larger space rock known as Didymos, which is five times as big.
Didymoon came relatively close to Earth in 2003 — at least in space terms. The asteroid came within 3.7 million miles. “Of the two asteroids, Didymoon is more likely to hit Earth, given there are more space rocks its size that NASA and the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) have yet to observe,” the Daily Mail reported.
NASA considers any near-Earth object (NEO) as “potentially hazardous” if it comes within 0.05 astronomical units (4.6 million miles) and measures more than 460 feet in diameter, said the Mail. “According to the U.S. space agency, there are just over 25,000 NEOs, but many more are waiting to be discovered.”
“DART will be the first demonstration of the kinetic impactor technique, which involves sending one or more large, high-speed spacecraft into the path of an asteroid in space to change its motion,” NASA said in a statement.
Back in 2017, NASA explained what the kinetic impactor technique is.
“Kinetic impaction involves sending one or more large, high-speed spacecraft into the path of an approaching near-earth object. This could deflect the asteroid into a different trajectory, steering it away from the Earth’s orbital path. NASA demonstrated on a small scale with the Deep Impact mission of 2005. If preparations were made in advance so that kinetic impactors were available upon detection, the National Academy of Sciences would require a warning time of at least 1 to 2 years for smaller asteroids,” NASA said.
Joseph Curl has covered politics for 35 years, including 12 years as White House correspondent for a national newspaper. He was also the a.m. editor of the Drudge Report for four years. Send tips to josephcurl@dailywire.com and follow him on Twitter @josephcurl.

Asteroid Impact Illustration

China Building System To Take Out Asteroids Heading Toward Earth

Communist China

SpaceX

Vice President Kamala Harris spoke to members of the United States Space Force on Monday, after reportedly receiving a briefing about the Space Force&#8217;s role in promoting national security going forward.
&#8220;Yesterday I received a briefing on the work of US Space Force and US Space Command and their work advancing our national security,&#8221; Harris tweeted on Tuesday. &#8220;We will continue to invest in our military space capabilities so they are able to protect our interests in space.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Yesterday I received a briefing on the work of US Space Force and US Space Command and their work advancing our national security. We will continue to invest in our military space capabilities so they are able to protect our interests in space. <a href="https://t.co/zbJWGswtk9">pic.twitter.com/zbJWGswtk9</a>
&mdash; Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) <a href="https://twitter.com/VP/status/1516484274571988992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 19, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Harris also shared several photos taken as she gave remarks to Space Force members at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, along with the caption, &#8220;Our Administration is working to establish international rules and norms for space. Yesterday at Vandenberg Space Force Base, I announced a new commitment that will help promote peaceful and responsible behavior in space.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Our Administration is working to establish international rules and norms for space. Yesterday at Vandenberg Space Force Base, I announced a new commitment that will help promote peaceful and responsible behavior in space. <a href="https://t.co/OHtPmUkxxW">pic.twitter.com/OHtPmUkxxW</a>
&mdash; Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) <a href="https://twitter.com/VP/status/1516523783238025218?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 19, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
But by Wednesday, video of Harris&#8217; comments had begun to circulate — and critics quickly noticed that her remarks did not appear to match her audience.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Does Kamala Harris think the Space Force doesn&#39;t know what space is&#8230;<a href="https://t.co/CjEGLEHMvw">pic.twitter.com/CjEGLEHMvw</a>
&mdash; Tommy Pigott (@TommyPigott) <a href="https://twitter.com/TommyPigott/status/1516804556495233032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 20, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;I think everyone here recognizes how extraordinary space is,&#8221; Harris said. &#8220;Whether it is satellites that orbit the earth, humans that land on the moon, or telescopes that peer into the furthest reaches of the universe, space is exciting! It spurs our imaginations. And it forces us to ask big questions.&#8221;
Another tweet shared a longer clip of Harris&#8217; remarks.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Kamala Harris, space expert and border novice. <a href="https://t.co/MEUNXXQlEH">pic.twitter.com/MEUNXXQlEH</a>
&mdash; Suburban Black Man 🇺🇸 (@goodblackdude) <a href="https://twitter.com/goodblackdude/status/1516442722571235329?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 19, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Space, it affects us all,&#8221; the vice president continued. &#8220;And it connects us all. There are so many opportunities in space for our country and for all of humanity — from science, to commerce, to national security. All of you on this base know the importance of the space systems that you use and operate and how important they are for our national security.&#8221;
Critics immediately fired back at Harris, saying that she was talking to members of the U.S. Space Force as though they were young children.
&#8220;I would be lost without these deeply profound and valuable insights from Kamala Harris this time pontificating on SPACE,&#8221; columnist Rupa Subramanya replied in a <a href="https://twitter.com/rupasubramanya/status/1516766458663034881">tweet</a>.
&#8220;Now she&#8217;s talking to members of the military like they&#8217;re 5-year-olds,&#8221; @NiceDeb <a href="https://twitter.com/NiceDeb/status/1516223198311989252">added</a>.
&#8220;When your book report on space is due and you didn’t do any of it &#8230;&#8221; @FiveTimesAugust <a href="https://twitter.com/FiveTimesAugust/status/1516645649084821506">tweeted</a>.
This is not the first time that Harris has <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/for-the-love-of-god-send-a-serious-person-meghan-mccain-begs-biden-admin-not-to-send-kamala-harris-to-handle-ukraine/">gotten into trouble</a> while talking about space, either. She participated in a YouTube Kids original video on the subject, only for the news to break later that child actors had been hired to be a part of the project.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Kamala Harris has a YouTube Kids original coming out tomorrow for Space Week that highlights her role as head of the space council. Here’s the trailer. <a href="https://t.co/Svst971QLP">pic.twitter.com/Svst971QLP</a>
&mdash; Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexThomp/status/1445756210561515532?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 6, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
As The Daily Wire <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/kamala-harris-nasa-video-features-child-actors-who-auditioned-for-gig-parent-says/">reported</a>, one child&#8217;s father explained the situation: &#8220;This was a casting call, a very specific one where he had to write essentially a monologue about what he’s really passionate about and he wrote a monologue about the environment. The producer of the series came back to him and asked him to write three questions that he’d ask a very important person … after that, he had a live Zoom interview with the producer of the series and then he got the part.&#8221;

Vice President Kamala Harris Visits Vandenberg Space Force Base

Kamala Harris Delivers Preschool Explanation Of Space — To Sworn-In, Grown-Adult Members Of The U.S. Space Force

California

Kamala Harris

Air Force and Space Force members will be allowed to include their preferred pronouns in their email signature blocks, according to a report from the Air Education and Training Command (AETC).
The <a href="https://www.aetc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2881459/signature-block-pronouns-now-allowed-for-airmen-guardians/">AETC</a> announced earlier this week that an official update had been made to the Department of the Air Force&#8217;s writing guide, called The Tongue and Quill, that would allow those who chose to include their preferred pronouns in the signature blocks of emails going forward.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Air Force members can use the pronouns he/him, she/her, or they/them in their signatures during military correspondence.
Undersecretary of the Air Force Gina Ortiz Jones applauded the changes, stating that &#8220;an inclusive force&#8221; is a &#8220;mission-ready force.&#8221;<a href="https://t.co/uqJqzPF4Cz">https://t.co/uqJqzPF4Cz</a>
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) <a href="https://twitter.com/dcexaminer/status/1473679386251571208?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 22, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
According to the <a href="https://www.aetc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2881459/signature-block-pronouns-now-allowed-for-airmen-guardians/">report</a>:
<blockquote>“An inclusive force is a mission-ready force, and I’m thankful to the LGBTQ Initiatives Team for helping us realize this opportunity to be a more inclusive force,” said Under Secretary of the Air Force Gina Ortiz Jones.
The <a href="https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2585778/department-of-the-air-force-creates-two-new-barrier-analysis-working-groups-for/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LGBTQ Initiatives Team</a>, or LIT, a part of the Department of the Air Force Barrier Analysis Working Group, advocated for this change, one of the latest initiatives the DAF undertook to address barriers to service and promote a more inclusive culture.
“The change request was driven by awareness of a restrictive policy that was being used against transgender Airmen and Guardians who were authentically representing themselves,” said Lt. Col. Bree Fram, a LIT Transgender Policy Team co-lead. “It was also important for many individuals often confused as being a different gender in their communications.”</blockquote>
According to Master Sgt. Jamie Hash, the other LIT Transgender Policy Team co-lead, the move was designed to move the Department of the <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/racism-was-ingrained-in-the-system-from-the-beginning-u-s-air-force-prof-who-teaches-critical-race-theory-says-of-military/">Air Force</a> &#8220;further down the road of explicitly acknowledging the existence and dignity of non-binary military members and civilians.&#8221;
She also said that the effort could help eliminate some of the confusion for service members and DAF civilians whose names did not immediately suggest a specific gender.
&#8220;The LIT provided an opportunity to streamline the process for this change,” Hash said, adding that the <a href="https://www.af.mil/Diversity/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Diversity and Inclusion</a> committee had called for the change. &#8220;It is an example of how the DAFBAWG teams are addressing barriers, collaborating, and executing solutions in ways that have not been seen before to help Airmen and Guardians thrive.&#8221;
Fram added, &#8220;A foundational competency of the DAF is to foster inclusion. The use of correct pronouns is an easy way to show care and respect for Airmen and Guardians as individuals, and can help the DAF retain highly qualified individuals. Allowing pronouns in an individual’s signature block is a quick and simple way to eliminate confusion and promote a more inclusive culture.&#8221;
An Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) civilian employee, under condition of anonymity, reached out to the Daily Wire about the change, saying, &#8220;This is idiotic. It also doesn&#8217;t seem like there is any limit to what we can use as our pronouns.  I can see disciplinary action coming next for not using someone&#8217;s pronouns. I may take Gina Carano&#8217;s lead and make mine Beep/Bop/Boop.&#8221;
Fox News host <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/biden-admin-faces-backlash-after-military-attacks-tucker-carlson-chinas-military-is-laughing/">Tucker Carlson</a> took heat recently for suggesting that the priorities of a &#8220;woke&#8221; military — that was focused on things like providing maternity flight suits for pregnant service members and whether or not female service members were allowed to wear their hair in ponytails — could ultimately take away from force readiness if national security was threatened.

The 2021 Pacific Airshow

Air Force, Space Force Will Allow Preferred Pronouns In Email Signature Blocks

Gender Pronouns

General David Thompson, Vice Chief of Space Operations, United States Space Force, told Fox News on Sunday that while China is aggressively challenging U.S. dominance in space, the U.S. is launching more lower-cost satellites to deter any attacks on American satellites in space.
&#8220;China is a tremendous threat,&#8221; Thompson said, &#8220;Now, I don&#8217;t think it&#8217;s a forgone conclusion that they will be the leader in space by the end of the decade, but they&#8217;re on an incredible pace. We are still the best in the world in space. Our capabilities are the best in the world in space, but they&#8217;re moving aggressively, they&#8217;re moving quickly, and we need to adapt our approach. We need to adapt what we do and how we do it in order to keep pace and outpace them. But they are a threat. They can threaten us kinetically.&#8221;
Thompson warned that China has &#8220;robots in space that conduct attacks&#8221; and &#8220;they can conduct jamming attacks and laser dazzling attacks&#8221; in addition to having &#8220;a full suite of cyber capabilities.&#8221;
When asked by anchor Chris Wallace if China could get to a point where they could &#8220;take out U.S. sensors and thereby have a first strike offensive capability,&#8221; Thompson responded, &#8220;I would say that&#8217;s a potential.&#8221;
&#8220;That&#8217;s one of the reasons the Space Force was created, to understand that threat, to design tactics and techniques, to design counters to that threat, to design a system that provides for intelligence collection and awareness and understanding,&#8221; Thompson said. &#8220;So that just as we do in other domains, we know their capabilities, we know their tactics, we know their systems, and we create counters. And it’s our job in the Space Force to ensure, should they propose to attack us with something like a space robot or other things, we have counter measures, we have tactics, and we have means to employ to prevent that attack from being successful.&#8221;
Wallace later asked about the U.S. &#8220;putting more, lower cost satellites up&#8221; in space and whether that was part of a strategy.
&#8220;Exactly right,&#8221; Thompson responded. &#8220;The, you know, the term we use is resilience, and we make it such that it&#8217;s too hard, too expensive, and too unlikely that they&#8217;ll succeed in creating a &#8212; the effect they want because, rather than the past, when we&#8217;ve had a small number of very sophisticated, very capable satellites, we now intend to field more and more and more lower-cost, lower-capable that provide, in aggregate, the same capability. Therefore, there&#8217;s not as much value in attempting to attacking them in space.&#8221;
WATCH:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Gen. Thompson predicts China could be the &#039;leader in space&#039; within decade" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fwt7h2e9Rf0?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
TRANSCRIPT:
<blockquote>CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: This week the Biden administration laid out its approach to space policy with a focus on national security given provocative actions by countries like China and Russia. Earlier, I discussed those threats with General David Thompson, the vice chief of operations for the U.S. Space Force. General Thompson, welcome.
GENERAL DAVID THOMPSON, VICE CHIEF OF SPACE OPERATIONS, UNITED STATES SPACE FORCE: Good morning. Great to be here.
WALLACE: Your boss, General Raymond, compares space to the wild west. Just how wild is the situation in space?
THOMPSON: Well, first of all let me say that it&#8217;s an incredibly growing and dynamic domain, and &#8212; and some of that contributes to what you&#8217;ll call the wildness of &#8212; of space. In the past two years alone, the number of active satellites in space has doubled. It&#8217;s gone to nearly 5,000 things. Now, a lot of energy is in the &#8212; in the commercial investment and innovation we see, but there aren&#8217;t really an agreed to international set of standards and norms of behavior that are expected in space.
WALLACE: Yes, I want to pick up on that. If the Space Force is the new sheriff in town, how do you keep law and order in that kind of situation, and what constitutes an act of war in space?
THOMPSON: So, the answer &#8212; let me start there, the answer to what constitutes an act of war in space is not really clear &#8212; I&#8217;ll say clearly defined or understood and perhaps there&#8217;s been less thinking in that &#8212; and then in other areas and other domains. What we are not, though, is we are not the sheriff in town, we are a military force, but we firmly advocate for regulation and conduct and standards of norms behavior that everybody should follow and that we should follow as well.
WALLACE: And does anyone &#8212; the other nations, especially China, especially Russia, do they listen to us in that area?
THOMPSON: There are conversations ongoing. They put forward proposals as well. So do we. But things have not proceeded very &#8212; very far in the recent past. We&#8217;ve tried to facilitate it. It&#8217;s really under the leadership of the Department of State. But, recently, the Secretary of Defense outlined what I&#8217;ll call five tenets of responsible behavior that we apply to, that everybody else should. Conduct your space operations in a safe manner. Don&#8217;t generate long-lived debris. Don&#8217;t create harmful [and unfair] interference. Communicate your intentions. And operate safely in the vicinity of others. Those are the kinds of tenets &#8212; tenets and expertise that we should &#8212; or expectations that we should all adhere to, but they aren&#8217;t commonly accepted or adhered to yet in space.
WALLACE: China is putting up satellites at twice the rate that the U.S. is now.
THOMPSON: Correct.
WALLACE: And at that pace, by the end of the decade, they will replace the U.S. as the preeminent power in space. When you look at, you know, the hypersonic missiles, when you look at satellites with robotic arms, just how much of a threat is China to the U.S. and to the rules of the road in space?
THOMPSON: So, China is a tremendous threat, as you noted. Now, I don&#8217;t think it&#8217;s a forgone conclusion that they will be the leader in space by the end of the decade, but they&#8217;re on an incredible pace. We are still the best in the world in space. Our capabilities are the best in the world in space, but they&#8217;re moving aggressively, they&#8217;re moving quickly, and we need to adapt our approach. We need to adapt what we do and how we do it in order to keep pace and outpace them. But they are a threat. They can threaten us kinetically, like you said. They &#8212; the Russians on the 15th of November conducted a destructive anti-satellite test. The Chinese conducted a similar test in 2007. They have robots in space that conduct attacks. They can conduct jamming attacks and laser dazzling attacks. They have a full suite of cyber capabilities. Absolutely an incredible threat that we have to address now and in the future.
WALLACE: Talking first of all about China. If they continue putting satellites up at &#8212; at &#8212; at the speed they are, they have a &#8212; a satellite with a robotic arm. Could they eventually get to a point where they could take out U.S. sensors and thereby have a first strike offensive capability?
THOMPSON: So, I would say that&#8217;s a potential. That&#8217;s one of the reasons the Space Force was created, to understand that threat, to design tactics and techniques, to design counters to that threat, to design a system that provides for intelligence collection and awareness and understanding. So that just as we do in other domains, we know their capabilities, we know their tactics, we know their systems, and we create counters. And it’s our job in the Space Force to ensure, should they propose to attack us with something like a space robot or other things, we have counter measures, we have tactics, and we have means to employ to prevent that attack from being successful.
WALLACE: Meanwhile, you talked about Russia. They, in the last few weeks, launched a missile that took out one of their own defunct satellites and created 1,500 pieces of debris in a very crowded neighborhood.
THOMPSON: They did.
WALLACE: How threatening is that?
THOMPSON: It was incredibly dangerous and irresponsible act. In fact, they conducted in an altitude over the North Pole that means for years to come that debris will be present, and it will eventually filter down and re-enter the atmosphere. But as it does, it has the potential to threaten every single satellite at altitudes below that, including the International Space Station, and, interesting enough, the Russian cosmonauts on the International Space Station. So, in that sense, it&#8217;s a dangerous behavior that threatens our use of the domain. What we also need to do, however, is design new space systems that recognize that&#8217;s a possible threat and make it less productive and valuable to try to conduct that sort of attacking (ph).
WALLACE: Well, let me ask you about one aspect of that, because one of the things that we&#8217;re doing is putting more, lower-cost satellites up. And is the idea that you create this, sort of, swarm of satellites and you put too many targets in the &#8212; in space for them to shoot?
THOMPSON: Exactly right. The, you know, the term we use is resilience, and we make is such that it&#8217;s too hard, too expensive, and too unlikely that they&#8217;ll succeed in creating a &#8212; the effect they want because, rather than the past, when we&#8217;ve had a small number of very sophisticated, very capable satellites, we now intend to field more and more and more lower-cost, lower-capable that provide, in aggregate, the same capability. Therefore, there&#8217;s not as much value in attempting to attacking them in space.
WALLACE: Some of the most innovative work being done in space now is by private companies.
THOMPSON: Absolutely.
WALLACE: Like SpaceX, like Virgin Orbit. What kind of a partnership does the Space Force either have or hope to develop with these private companies?
THOMPSON: We both have partnerships and we&#8217;re going to develop more. The first is, as these new commercial services come online, if they&#8217;re of value to the Space Force, if they&#8217;re of value to our joint force, we&#8217;re going to use them directly for our benefit. The second is that innovation and creativity we see in their technology and the way they operate, if we can leverage and apply them to military missions, we&#8217;ll do that as well. And then the third piece is, we&#8217;re actually partnering with them and sharing information on mission requirements, mission design, cost and threats and we&#8217;re asking them to develop their own solutions to our problems as we do as well to create a new relationship that says, here&#8217;s a problem, here&#8217;s a potential solution, employ the power and innovation of your ideas alongside ours to come up with the best source of space capabilities for the nation.
WALLACE: Finally, when President Trump directed the Pentagon to start the Space Force back in 2018, it became the &#8212; the butt of some pop culture jokes. I want you to take a look at some of that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, &#8220;THE LATE SHOW&#8221; (August 10, 2018): Tonight, there&#8217;s big news about Space Force.
JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY (February 2, 2021): Wow, Space Force. It&#8217;s the plane of today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: So, how do you react to that and how seriously is the Space Force being taken by our adversaries now?
THOMPSON: So, I think as people more fully understand exactly who we are, what we are, how we contribute to the security of the nation, I think absolutely they&#8217;re taking us more seriously. We certainly see energy and desire out of the young people of the nation to join and participate. I would say that humor is a fundamental avenue of the human society and always has been a part of American culture. If we can&#8217;t take a joke, if we can&#8217;t accept some of the humor like that, then we&#8217;re probably not prepared to face the greater challenges we need, and we&#8217;re absolutely up to those challenges.
WALLACE: And I gather from what you say that China and Russia are not laughing. General Thompson, thank you so much for talking with us.
THOMPSON: If I may, Mr. Wallace, thanks. Let me say that speaking for myself, speaking for General Raymond, and I know I&#8217;m speaking for the 13,000 guardians, it remains an honor and a privilege to serve the nation and its people.</blockquote>

A United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket in space at complex

U.S. Space Force General Details Strategy U.S. Is Using To Counteract Chinese Aggression In Race For Space Dominance

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