2012 Winter
U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command 

publishes the Army Space Journal quarterly, with special editions as required. 

The publication consists of four sections, THE LEADING EDGE – Leadership 

Updates; TALKING SHOP – Space Topics; TIP OF THE SPHERE – Space Cadre 

News & Features; and FLIPSIDE – USASMDC Features & Briefs.

The Journal provides a forum through which Space and Missile Defense 

professionals can disseminate professional knowledge and furnish information 

within the U.S. Army. The purpose is to increase the effectiveness of Space 

operations through a professional discussion of events and lessons learned. 

It is also intended to inform the Army warfi ghter on Army Space issues.

Recipient of 2002, 2003, 2008 and 2009 Department of the Army Keith L. Ware 

recognition for Excellence in Journalism. For 2009, received 1st place in Art/

Graphics in Support of a Publication, 3rd place in Photojournalism.

Comments, inquiries and manuscripts should be sent to the Director, Future 

Warfare Center, Directorate of Training and Doctrine, ATTN:

Richard Burks

1330 Inverness Dr., Suite 440

Colorado Springs CO 80910

Telephone: 719-622-2902

Fax: 719-622-2951

E-mail: Space.journal@us.army.mil

www.smdc-armyforces.army.mil/ASJ 

Distribution is made to the general public, Functional Area 40 officers and associated 

military officers, civilians and contractors. Changes to addresses and requests 

for this publication should be made to the Future Warfare Center, Directorate of 

Training and Doctrine address listed above.

The Army Space Journal is an authorized publication of the U.S. Army Space and 

Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command in accordance with AR 25-30 

and AR 360-1. The Commanding General, U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, 

has directed that the publication of this periodical is necessary in the transaction of the public 

business as required by law. Use of funds for printing this publication were approved by the 

Commanding General in January 2001.

The views and opinions expressed in the Army Space Journal are not necessarily 

those of the Department of the Army or U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense 

Command / Army Forces Strategic Command.

E D I T O R I N C H I E F

Michael L. Howard

M A N A G I N G E D I T O R

Scott Andreae

G R A P H I C D E S I G N / C R E A T I V E D I R E C T O R

Michael Kahl

C O N T R I B U T I N G E D I T O R S

Rachel L. Griffith

Richard Burks

DJ Montoya

SGT Benjamin Crane

C O M M A N D I N G G E N E R A L

LTG Richard P. Formica

C O M M A N D S E R G E A N T M A J O R

CSM Larry S. Turner

D E P U T Y T O T H E C O M M A N D E R

Dr. Steven L. Messervy

D E P U T Y C O M M A N D E R F O R O P E R A T I O N S

COL Timothy R. Coffin

D I R E C T O R O F F U T U R E W A R F A R E C E N T E R

Larry Burger

D I R E C T O R O F T H E T E C H N I C A L C E N T E R

Debra G. Wymer

D I R E C T O R, D O T D

Terry Nelson

D I R E C T O R, P U B L I C A F F A I R S

Marco Morales

Army Space Journal - A Professional Journal

2012 Winter

tHe LeADinG eDGe

/ / l e A D e r S h i P U P D A t e S / /

2011 Achievements 

/ 2012 Priorities 4

By LTG Richard P. Formica

the role of a Professional 6

By CSM Larry S. Turner 

Civilian Professionals 8

Critical to Our Mission Success

By Dr. Steven L. Messervy 

A Year rooted in History 10

By COL Timothy R. Coffin

A Vision for Future Success 12

By Larry Burger

technical expertise & Dedication 14

By Debra G. Wymer

CoVer DeSigN & lAYoUt: Michael Kahl

fliPSiDe CoVer DeSigN & lAYoUt: Michael Kahl

CoVer Photo: U.S. Army courtesy photo

filPSiDe CoVer Photo: Dottie White 
tALKinG SHOP

/ / SP A C e C A D r e N e W S & f e A t U r e S / /

/ / U S A S M D C f e A t U r e S & B r i e f S / /

/ / SP A C e & M i S S i l e D e f e N S e t o P i C S / /

tiP OF tHe SPHere

tHe FLiPSiDe

Assured tactical Access to Space 30

By Dave Carrithers, Frank Cox, and George Luker

information Sharing 

in Coalition Space Operations 38

By CPT Brad Hamlett

the At-risk U.S. Space 

& Satellite industry 42

By LTC Victoria Miralda

Osan Soldiers named as

Best Missile Warning Crew 46

By Rachel L. Griffith

Strategic Leadership, 

Philosophy, and the Space Brigade 48

By LTC J. Dave Price

Sun tzu Space Warrior 52

By COL Timothy R. Coffin and MAJ Ken Rich

Our Highest Dedication 56

By LTC M. Troy Bentley

Space Professional

Personnel Update .............. 54

Section Coordinator Michael Connolly

Career Management ........... 57

Section Coordinator MAJ Glen Hees

training insights ................ 58

Section Coordinator Larry Mize

 Doctrine, training, & Lessons Learned 58

By Don Messmer Jr. and Mark James

Support to training 60

By Michael C. Madsen

record Year for Space training 60

By Daryl Breitbach

Missile Defense training Divison 61

By Clem Morris

training Support Division 61

By Chip Graves

these pages are 

flipped by design.

Turn them over to 

continue reading.

Space Pros p. 18

Key Players ‘Always in the Title Game’

By Dottie White & Rachel L. Griffith
Army Space Journal Winter 2012

A story of chutney? As is my habit–

and much to the chagrin of the staff 

that puts each edition of the Army 

Space Journal together–I write my 

column last just before the magazine 

heads off to the printer. So if you wonder why my information is sometimes more recent than 

included in other parts of the publication, it is because 

some of our writers routinely run a little (or a lot) late. In 

any case, my habit requires the graphics editor to include 

phony text as a placeholder as we go through the editing process to move things along. Usually a staff member 

provides article and headline text that is meaningless and 

easily replaced once I complete my task.

Actually, although I know very little about chutney, 

the headline is eerily spot-on-the-mark. Typically in the 

magazine business, headlines are written after the article 

to summarize what is being attempted in the article. So, 

while it may be the chicken-or-egg thing, the article normally comes first then the headline. This time, though, 

the staff will be surprised when they see I have let the 

phony headline stand. There is certainly a kick to the 

word chutney. More importantly, it is a food concoction going back hundreds of years, with a variety of 

old ingredients and new that blend together for a tart 

taste of opposites–a surprising blend of distinct spices, 

sweets, and foods to pack a pretty good, mouth-puckering punch.

So here is my attempt at a column on chutney, and it 

starts with the old.

I recently bought a fragile bound copy of the Army 

Navy Journal covering the last eight months of the Civil 

War and first four months of aftermath. Something about 

the feel, smell, and look of the old newsprint which actually existed during the Civil War triggers my curiosity. The 

fact that my eyes were reading “breaking news” from a 

military professional journal, with reporting on battlefield 

events as they unfolded, makes it even more exciting. I 

would consider the Army Navy Journal an early predecessor to the ASJ and all professional journals in the military. 

William Church started the weekly national publication in 

August 1863, publishing out of New York with regular 

battle updates and analysis for the Union Army.

In my bound copy of the Army Navy Journal’s 

second year product, the editor writes editorials in the 

form of “Notes to Subscribers” and other essays. Three 

things have caught my eye through that year’s scan. First, 

Church expresses his pride to be a part of collaboration 

in the profession of arms as the publication begins the 

second year of service to readers. Second, he highlights 

the continued need for a professional military not only as 

the nation heals from internal war but during peacetime 

into the future. Third, he discusses the integral role of a 

professional journal focused on issues surrounding the 

military profession of arms in the transition to and continuation of that peacetime military.

As I carefully turned the old smelly and yellowstained pages, I couldn’t help but feel an odd freshness 

or reality in the content presented long ago. The writers, 

now long dead, were responding to very critical issues 

impacting the military and the nation. Sometimes, it is 

easy to take that for granted.

I guess this is where the parallel with my analogy 

using food–chutney–comes to focus. Without sounding 

silly, I can imagine 17th and 18th century workers using 

stone mills, primitive by today’s standards, painstakingly grinding and mixing special spice recipes to uniquely match the palates of the time. Just as those tastes of 

yesterday become real today once they touch the tongue, 

these hallmark ideas about a professional military resonate today when they become more than words in a history book.

So the thought continues with the new. And the 

new, of course, comes with the nation’s current situation as we draw down from our most recent wars and 

look to future stability. The defense strategy announced 

Editor's Blog //// Space & Missile Defense to the point michael.howard@smdc-cs.army.mil

A Story of Chutney

Oranges, Pineapples, and Honey
Winter 2012 Army Space Journal

by the President, Secretary of Defense, and Joint 

Chiefs of Staff Chairman earlier this year opened 

the national discussion on the topic. There are so 

many ways that today’s communication environment is much more dynamic and different from 

150 years ago. Yet the three points I picked up from 

the antique paper remain: 1) Pride in collaboration 

or partnership, 2) continued necessity of a profession of arms, and 3) communication helps mature 

the profession.

We will focus our next edition on the topic 

of the new defense strategy in terms of decisive 

force, but for now, consider what our historic and 

modern-day Army has provided to the nation–and, 

more importantly, what that means for our future. 

That is the point of this column and this edition’s 

cover theme, Space Pros: Key Players “Always in 

the Title Game.”

I have no idea if this column feels forced 

by the headline writer or if it clearly makes the 

point. Maybe connecting fresh fruit with the current world situation seems a little contrived. Maybe 

it fits better to tie aged spices to the touch of old 

newsprint, but still there may be a tough stretch 

to mixing a food concoction with serious national 

security concerns and our current condition.

So let me make one final attempt at making 

things work. It comes by way of Facebook. COL 

Tim Coffin, our deputy commanding general for 

operations, posted a picture of John Glenn and 

him mugging for the camera a few days before the 

50th anniversary of Glenn orbiting the Earth (Feb. 

20, 1962). Think of what the broad Space community has brought to the nation in the past. Think of 

the opportunities in the future.

How’s that for chutney? 

Facebook

Links //// Get Space Here

Submit an Article

space.journal@us.army.mil

Find us online

smdc-armyforces.army.mil\ASJ

Mike Howard on Facebook

Join the Conversation

retired astronaut John Glenn (left), the first American to orbit the earth, joins COL 

timothy Coffin, deputy commanding general for operations at U.S. Army Space and 

Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command, at Cape Canaveral, 

Fla., a few days before the 50th anniversary of Glenn’s Mercury flight.
4 2012 Winter edition Army Space Journal

 LTG Richard 

P. Formica

Commanding General

USASMDC/ARSTRAT 

Inthis issue of the Army Space Journal, I will 

share with you an excerpt from a recent 

speech that I gave at the Air, Space, and 

Missile Defense Association annual membership luncheon in Huntsville, Ala. It provides U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army 

Forces Strategic Command accomplishments from 2011 and 

the priorities we are setting for the command in the year ahead.

Last year I introduced our organizational vision and three 

core tasks. That speech set the themes for the command for 

the year. I’d like to do the same thing this year by highlighting 

key activities in 2011 and sharing our priorities for 2012.

In 2011 we streamlined the command by creating a 

Deputy position, merging two organizations to become 

the Technical Center, and realigning the Contracting and 

Acquisition Management Office under Army Contracting 

Command. We synchronized USASMDC/ARSTRAT with 

the Joint Functional Component Command for Integrated 

Missile Defense (JFCC IMD), sustained close, collaborative 

relationships with the Missile Defense Agency, and sought 

opportunities to nest our activities with the Army enterprise 

and improve relationships with our stakeholders.

Our first core task is providing trained and ready 

Space and Missile Defense forces and capabilities in service to Warfighters and the nation, our operations function (capabilities we provide today). We deployed 12 Space 

support and commercial imagery teams to the U.S. Central 

Command theater, with more than 70 teams deployed since 

the beginning of combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. 

USASMDC/ARSTRAT supplied Space and Missile Defense 

capabilities to 15 combatant commander, Warfighter, and 

mission rehearsal exercises.

2011 Achievem

/ 2012 PRIORIT
Army Space Journal 2012 Winter edition 5

We formally activated the AN/TPY-2 Forward Based 

Mode Radar Missile Defense detachment in Japan and activated and deployed a detachment to Turkey, as part of the 

Phased Adaptive Approach. The Friendly Force Tracking 

mission management center 

submitted data to joint, interagency, and coalition forces 

around the world, supporting command and control 

and situational awareness, 

and tracked half a million 

locations a day. We provided 

geospatial intelligence and tailored satellite imagery products to U.S. Africa Command 

in support of Operation 

Unified Protector in Libya and U.S. Pacific Command in support of Operation Tomodachi in Japan. The California-based 

Wideband Satellite Communications Operations Center relocated to a new location in Hawaii

The command’s second core task is to build future Space 

and Missile Defense forces–our capability development function (capabilities we provide tomorrow). We provided Space 

and Missile Defense input to inform and influence the Army 

2020 Task Force, Army Capstone Concept, Army Operating 

Concept, Warfighting Functional Concepts, and Profession 

of Arms campaign. USASMDC/ARSTRAT led the Army’s 

effort to draft an Army Space Operations White Paper, which 

will lay the foundation for determining future Space capabilities for the Army.

The High Altitude Test Bed Aerostat supported the 

Army’s Network Integration Evaluation and helped mature 

the Army’s tactical network. We expanded our efforts in ballistic Missile Defense training and embarked on a task to 

integrate Space knowledge into Army leader and Soldier 

development courses. We worked with the Missile Defense 

Agency (MDA) and the Army to continue the integration 

of the AN/TPY-2 FBM radars and command and control 

systems and deliver this important capability as part of the 

Ballistic Missile Defense System. We provided modeling and 

simulation, studies, and analysis in support of U.S. Strategic 

Command (STRATCOM), MDA, Army Cyber Command, 

and other agencies.

The third core task is researching, testing, and integrating Space, Missile Defense, cyber, directed energy, and related 

technologies–our materiel development function (capabilities 

we provide the day after tomorrow). We successfully orbited 

the Army’s first nanosatellite, the Space and Missile Defense 

Command-Operational Nanosatellite Effect. The High 

Energy Laser Technology Demonstrator program completed fabrication and integration in early 2011 and finished 

low-power testing in December. The Long Endurance MultiIntelligence Vehicle (LEMV) program completed fabrication 

and inflation in June and is progressing toward a first flight 

in early 2012, followed by deployment. We successfully conducted the first flight of the Advanced Hypersonic Weapon, 

thanks to the great teamwork of USASMDC/ARSTRAT, 

U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and 

Engineering Center, and Sandia National Laboratories.

We established a distributed operations capability at the 

new Reagan Test Site Operations Center-Huntsville, achieving full operational capability for Space operations and initial operational capability for test operations. The U.S. Army 

Kwajalein Atoll was named as one of six Net Zero Energy 

installations Army-wide with complete energy independence.

 In summary, 2011 was a busy and productive year for 

USASMDC/ARSTRAT. In 2012 we’ll continue to provide Space and Missile Defense forces and capabilities to 

STRATCOM, the geographic combatant commanders, and 

the Army.

You are well aware of the fiscal challenges we face. These 

will lead to force reductions and program changes, and will 

mean a different future for all of us. The recently published 

strategic defense guidance, “Priorities for the 21st Century,” 

reminds us that we need to ensure we can operate in antiaccess/area denial scenarios. We must have cross-domain synergy, with assurances that our forces can operate effectively 

in Space and cyberspace. And as the STRATCOM commander emphasized recently, we must be able to fight in domains 

without geographic boundaries.

Space and Missile Defense capabilities are critical to the 

Army as a decisive force and the Army’s ability to execute unified land operations. If the Army wants to be able to shoot, 

move, and communicate–it needs Space. If the nation wants 

to be protected from rogue nations’ ability to launch ballistic 

missiles–it needs Missile Defense. If joint forces want to fight 

in domains without geographic boundaries–they will need 

Space and Missile Defense. I believe exploiting the potential of Space and Missile Defense capabilities becomes even 

more important in an era where conflicts may take place in 

domains without boundaries and where forward presence may 

be reduced.

So while no one can speak of a growth industry these 

days, and no one will be immune from efficiency drills, I am 

confident that the Space and Missile Defense capabilities that 

USASMDC/ARSTRAT and JFCC IMD provide are more 

Space and Missile Defense capabilities are critical

to the Army as a decisive force and the Army’s ability to execute unified land operations. 

If the Army wants to be able to shoot, move, and communicate–it needs Space.

ments

TIES

Achievements Page 16 >> 
6 2012 Winter edition Army Space Journal

USASMDC/ARSTRAT 

Command Sergeant Major

 CSM Larry

 S. Turner

hroughout the year 2011, the Army has placed considerable emphasis upon the Profession of Arms 

and has gone to great lengths to educate its Soldiers 

and Civilian workforce about what it means to be 

a professional and a member of the Profession of 

Arms. Here at U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense 

Command/Army Forces Strategic Command, we’ve 

gone a step further and also have placed emphasis 

upon the importance of being Space and Missile 

Defense Warriors/Professionals.

As Space and Missile Defense Warriors/

Professionals, our Soldiers and Civilians must strive 

to exceed the exacting requirements of operating and maintaining Space and Missile Defense 

systems around the world. This means deploying 

as members of Army Space Support Teams and 

Commercial Imagery Teams to support Operations 

New Dawn and Enduring Freedom. It also means 

working 12-hour shifts as crewmembers supporting 

Space or Missile Defense operations.

To become a Space or Missile Defense Warrior/

Professional, you must master highly specialized 

skills. The requirements vary depending upon the 

mission you’re supporting, but one thing is certain. 

To be successful, you must successfully master and 

daily demonstrate proficiency in performing highly 

technical and unique skills. This holds true whether you’re responsible for managing the communications payloads of Wideband Global SATCOM and 

Defense Satellite Communications System satellites, 

supporting combatant commanders as a Wideband 

SATCOM System Expert or as a member of a 

Regional SATCOM Support Center, constantly 

monitoring heat signatures for missile launches as a 

T

The Role 

of a Professio
Army Space Journal 2012 Winter edition 7

crewmember at a Joint Tactical Ground Station, or serving as 

a crew member controlling our ground-based interceptors.

Our missions are fast-paced, often requiring us to make 

split-second decisions, to respond immediately. It doesn’t matter if we are responding to a missile event or correcting an 

anomaly on a communications satellite payload. When presented with an event, we must respond based upon our training. We won’t have the luxury of trying to figure out what’s 

going on and how to respond, we won’t have the time to ask, 

“Am I prepared, did I train enough, did I practice enough, to 

do my job right?” We will rely on our training and respond.

That’s what professionals do. They train until things 

become habit. Professionals also work to develop error-free 

processes. We achieve “zero defects” by constantly working to 

refine the process so things can’t go wrong when training is 

over and the event is real.

In the Profession of Arms, 236 years of experience has 

taught us that we improve through training and exercises. In 

the split-second world of Space and Missile Defense, this fact 

is doubly true. To meet mission requirements, we must train 

to an extremely high standard, and once we’ve achieved it, we 

must exercise constantly in order to maintain proficiency–

to reach the point where we are Space and Missile Defense 

Warriors/Professionals.

Just to keep things interesting, you’re also expected to 

exceed the high standards required of you as members of the 

Profession of Arms. Our Soldiers and Civilians must maintain the tactical knowledge and expertise required by the 

Profession of Arms as well as the technical knowledge and 

expertise required in their current positions. Our Soldiers in 

particular must maintain the highest level of technical knowledge and capability, while also maintaining the ability to deploy 

and fight. They must remain current on warrior tasks and battle drills (e.g., marksmanship training, physical fitness, and professional military education).

We currently have more than 850 Soldiers and Civilians 

supporting Ballistic Missile defense and Space operations who 

are United States-based, forward-stationed, or deployed. We 

recently deployed the next Army Space Support Team and 

Commercial Imagery Team into the U.S. Central Command 

area of operations, and have deployed 70 teams since the 

start of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The plus side 

of deploying our Soldiers and Civilians is that these highly trained teams use their skills and various systems to 

deliver Army and joint Space capabilities to commanders. The minus side is the fact that many of 

our Soldiers and their Families have endured 

multiple deployments over the past ten years.

I’m happy to report that our Soldiers 

and their Families continue to be resilient. 

They understand and accept the need 

to place service to country before self. I 

strongly feel that these Soldiers and their 

Families are living symbols of not only the 

Profession of Arms, but of what it means 

to be Space and Missile Defense Warriors/

Professionals. I continue to be awed by their 

commitment to duty and the professionalism 

displayed not only by the Soldiers but by their 

Families as well. Hooah!

S E C U R E T H E H I G H G R O U N D

the 

Sun 

never 

Sets on 

USASMDC/

ArStrAt 

nal

To be successful,

you must successfully master and daily 

demonstrate proficiency in performing 

highly technical and unique skills.
8 2012 Winter edition Army Space Journal

Civi

Professio

USASMDC/ARSTRAT 

Deputy to the Commander

 Dr. Steven

 L. Messervy

his will be my last article for the Army Space Journal as the Deputy 

to the Commander for U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense 

Command/Army Forces Strategic Command. I want to use this 

space to publicly thank the men and women I’ve served with at 

USASMDC/ARSTRAT. The dedicated Soldiers and Civilians are 

top-notch professionals committed to delivering the best Space 

and Missile Defense capabilities to the nation and the Warfighter. 

During my tenure here, I witnessed a number of examples across 

the three functional areas of our command–operations, capability 

development, and materiel development–where the members of 

USASMDC/ARSTRAT were handed a challenging opportunity, 

and each time they worked and persevered until the best solution 

was developed.

Inside USASMDC/ARSTRAT, our Civilian professionals provide significant contributions to the command, the Army, 

and the Department of Defense. When I became the Deputy, I 

engaged other areas of the command and gained a better appreciation for how our uniquely organized command executes its 

three core tasks. I also learned more about the dedicated Soldiers 

and Civilian professionals involved in every aspect of our mission. This column will focus on the Civilian contribution as part 

of the Army team.

Our command’s mission success depends on our operational and technically proficient team of experts. This level of 

expertise and professionalism is exactly what the Army Chief of 

Staff describes as being a member of the Profession of Arms, 

held to a code of ethics and trust placed upon us by the public. 

There is no doubt that the men and women of this command 

are members of the Profession of Arms; their efforts prove that 

T

Critical to Our Mission Success
Army Space Journal 2012 Winter edition 9

every day. Notably, the commanding generals of USASMDC/

ARSTRAT and Army Materiel Command agreed that 

Civilians should be included in the Army Chief of Staff ’s 

Profession of Arms study because the Civilian expertise is 

vital to the mission success of the Army. As a follow-on effort 

to the study, Army Materiel Command and USASMDC/

ARSTRAT initiated an effort at Redstone Arsenal, Ala., home 

to the largest Civilian workforce population in the Army, to 

make Redstone a Civilian Center of Excellence. The vision 

is to ensure there is recognition of the talent of the Civilian 

workforce, along with a means to recruit, develop, and retain 

those essential capabilities for the Army.

Our operational forces depend heavily on their Civilian 

colleagues to plan, train, and exercise the command’s Space 

and Missile Defense brigades. Civilians work to ensure our 

forces are trained and ready to provide Space and Missile 

Defense capabilities to the combatant commands and to the 

Warfighter. In 2012 our operations planning and exercise 

team includes Civilians who will support numerous planning 

conferences to prepare for the command’s participation in 

more than ten Tier I combatant command or mission rehearsal exercises. Our Civilians also serve as force multipliers to 

enhance Space and Missile Defense knowledge with the exercise planners across combatant command staffs.

Civilians provide significant operational support 

to the Warfighter through the Friendly Force Tracking 

Mission Management Center, Geospatial Intelligence 

Division, and Satellite Communications Division, just to 

name a few. Each of these areas run either around the 

clock or on extended/surge operations, with Civilians 

at the helm. Additionally, I would be remiss if I didn’t 

acknowledge the talent of the G-6 information technology 

professionals who keep our networks running, our information protected, and ensure our leaders stay connected to the 

global 24/7/365 operations of our command. All of these 

capabilities are largely provided by Civilian professionals.

Also within the operations function of the command, 

Civilian professionals manage the Army Space Professional 

Development Office. This small team develops the policies, 

procedures, and metrics for the Army Space Cadre and executes the proponency life cycle management functions of the 

Army Functional Area 40 Space Operations officers, ensuring the Army has trained personnel to meet national security 

Space needs.

As part of our capability development function, in 2011 

we began the final stages of deployment efforts for two of 

the Missile Defense AN/TPY-2 Forward Based Mode radars. 

These deployments to Turkey and U.S. Central Command 

are on an accelerated schedule in support of the U.S. Phased 

Adaptive Approach for Missile Defense. Thanks to the 

Missile Defense Agency, who took on the lion’s share of the 

challenge to field a development system, these radars will be 

ready sooner than originally planned. That meant a “catchup” challenge for the Army. USASMDC/ARSTRAT, as 

the proponent for global Missile Defense, has the responsibility to ensure these systems are deployed in a consistent 

ilian 

onals

Civilian professionals 

provide significant 

contributions to the 

command, the Army, and the 

Department of Defense.

Civilians Page 17 >> 
10 2012 Winter edition Army Space Journal

USASMDC/ARSTRAT 

Deputy Commander

for Operations

 COL Timothy

 R. Coffin

The year 2011 had parallels in groundbreaking events 100 years 

ago for military communication and 50 years ago for Space 

exploration. A century ago in the United States, radio communication took place for the first time between an airplane 

and Army units on the ground. Turning to events in the Space 

realm, in 1961 Soviet cosmonauts and American astronauts took 

humanity’s initial journeys beyond the Earth: Yuri Gagarin, Alan 

B. Shepard, Virgil “Gus” Grissom, and German Titov.

While these pioneers of Space have now departed, I 

had the opportunity last month to watch the countdown in 

the launch control room for the Atlas rocket carrying the first 

Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) to Space. Next to me 

stood astronaut, Marine, and Senator John Glenn, just one 

day shy of the 50th anniversary of being the first American 

to orbit the Earth. As we discussed the differences between 50 

years ago and today it was clear we still live in an age of opportunity with many firsts yet to be achieved.

The historic happenings of 1911 and 1961 are linked 

to notable firsts in U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense 

Command/Army Forces Strategic Command. Let’s take a 

look at some USASMDC/ARSTRAT accomplishments and 

contributions last year–and how several of them are related to 

other events in history.

First, progress in military communication. In 2011 our 

command had two noteworthy events demonstrating the 

power of modern-day communications. In January the Army’s 

newest satellite, the SMDC-ONE nanosatellite, completed 

its mission after a 35-day flight. SMDC-ONE was the first 

Army satellite launched in 50 years. It demonstrated the possibility of transmitting data between unattended ground sensors and small receiving stations, an important step in creating 

more powerful communication links between tactical forces. The next month a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Wahiawa, 

Hawaii, for the first-ever Wideband Satellite Communications 

A Year Root

 in History
Army Space Journal 2012 Winter edition 11

Operations Center heralded the latest enhancement of Space-based communication for the 

U.S. military. The state-of-the-art center and its 

planned counterparts in Maryland, Germany, 

and Japan are the payload managers for satellite 

communication systems that deliver billions of 

bytes of information in a second.

Next, advances in Space exploration. 

Five decades after the original Space pioneers 

launched into the cosmos, their peers in the 

U.S. Army are accomplished members of the 

USASMDC/ARSTRAT astronaut detachment 

at the Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas. In 2011 LTC 

Mark Vande Hei became a full-fledged Army and NASA 

astronaut after completing a multiyear program of rigorous training. COL Doug Wheelock, the Army’s senior astronaut just one year after being the Army’s first commander 

of the International Space Station, flew sensor missions in 

Afghanistan with a Defense Advanced Research Projects 

Agency payload in support of U.S. troops on the ground. 

Additionally, in November the command flight-tested an 

atmospheric vehicle, the Advanced Hypersonic Weapon, proving that not only does the Army do rocket science–but that we 

do it well. We can rightfully take pride in that successful event 

where other agencies previously struggled, bringing to mind 

the events leading up to the Army’s achievement in launching 

the first American satellite, Explorer I, in 1958.

Back on Earth last year, USASMDC/ARSTRAT showed 

our flag in support of many humanitarian and military operations. The Army’s satellite communications (SATCOM) and 

Space-based geospatial intelligence assets played big roles 

when a tsunami and tornadoes rocked the command’s world. 

We pulled together on behalf of neighbors and strangers 

alike when disasters struck Japan and the southeastern United 

States–including Huntsville, Ala., home to our senior leadership, research and development center, and many agency and industry partners. On a personal level, USASMDC/

ARSTRAT employees contributed time, money, and resources 

to help people and communities in the disaster zones.

Within hours of the devastating Japanese earthquake 

and tsunami, the 53rd Signal Battalion’s Regional Satellite 

Communications Support Center for the Pacific region, which 

manages Department of Defense SATCOM requirements, 

changed priorities in support of U.S. Pacific Command. The 

center increased SATCOM access for relief forces by more 

than 600 percent, while CPT Erol Munir from the Joint 

Tactical Ground Station detachment in Japan helped lead 

convoys with relief supplies. Our specialized geospatial intelligence center used satellite imagery and special exploitation 

techniques to assess damage to the Fukushima nuclear power 

plant and its continued impacts. Geospatial data also showed 

that the berthing area near the plant was clear of debris, allowing U.S. Navy vessels and equipment to enter the next day. 

In Alabama, following a wave of deadly tornadoes, geospatial specialists from the Future Warfare Center plotted damage 

paths in partnership with the Civil Air Patrol and state emergency agencies. This information helped authorities send aid 

to those locations where it was needed most.

Remembering that people are the Army’s most important 

element, command leaders took part in grand-opening ceremonies for the new community activity center at Fort Greely, 

Alaska–a deployment site for the Ground-Based Midcourse 

Defense system. Family members, Soldiers, and Civilians of 

the 49th Missile Defense Battalion now have a bright, spacious 

place for high-tech bowling, club meetings, tasty meals, and 

all-around relaxation and entertainment. Also, the 1st Space 

Brigade moved to new headquarters, allowing quicker and 

easier collaboration between its battalions and staff 

elements. Their neighbor and partner across the 

street is the 100th Missile Defense Brigade.

The expertise, knowledge, and dedication 

of all members of USASMDC/ARSTRAT 

made 2011 a tremendous period of progress and service. As always, I am grateful 

that the people of the command safely and 

effectively completed many deployments 

and travels throughout the United States 

and the world. We said “come back soon” 

and “welcome home” multiple times as 

Soldiers and Civilians took on missions and 

exercises in Iraq, Afghanistan, Germany, and 

Australia, among other places.

Gen. C. Robert Kehler, commander of 

U.S. Strategic Command, recently made mention of a Chinese saying, “May you live in interesting times.” It usually is interpreted as a curse. I want to 

turn it into a blessing. May each of you enjoy and excel in 

the interesting times in which we live.

S E C U R E T H E H I G H G R O U N D

ed

y

Expertise, knowledge, & dedication 

of all members of USASMDC/ARSTRAT made 2011 

a tremendous period of progress and service.
12 2012 Winter edition Army Space Journal

Future Warfare Center

 Larry Burger

he United States has been the world leader in Space since the 

early 1960s. However, the nation cannot rest upon the accomplishments of the past 50 years to ensure success in the future. A 

forward - leaning vision for Space and Missile Defense capabilities is an important element of the Army and the nation’s future 

success. The Future Warfare Center within U.S. Army Space and 

Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command 

has a big role in ensuring America develops Space capabilities to 

deter threats against and defend U.S. national interests. Without a 

cadre of capable and dedicated Space professionals, this simply will 

not happen.

The Future Warfare Center presents Space and Missile 

Defense doctrine and education designed to enhance the Army’s 

combat effectiveness by conducting Army Space operations and 

integrating Space into Army operations. As the American military moves toward the Joint Force of 2020 envisioned by the 

President and Secretary of Defense and defined in the January 

2012 document “Sustaining U.S. Global Leadership for 21st 

Century Defense,” USASMDC/ARSTRAT will be instrumental 

in providing Space and Missile Defense capability for the nation.

As the “schoolhouse” for Army Space and Missile Defense, 

the Future Warfare Center’s Directorate of Training and 

Doctrine (DOTD) instructs Soldiers and Civilians. The Army’s 

Officer Education System, Warrant Officer Education System, 

Noncommissioned Officer Education System, and Civilian 

Education System all have focused programs that incorporate 

leader development. A similar focus is a core component in all 

DOTD education and training courses. Institutional training 

and education provide initial skills and subsequent functional 

and professional education. These steps teach key competencies, 

instill Army Values, and teach officers, Soldiers, and Civilians to 

be competent and confident leaders to meet the Army’s need to 

T

Director A Vision for 

Future Succ
Army Space Journal 2012 Winter edition 13

develop adaptive, critical thinking Soldiers 

and leaders capable of meeting the challenges of operational adaptability in an era 

of persistent conflict.

One example of DOTD contributions is the Space Operations Officer 

Qualification Course (SOOQC). Guided by 

the concepts of the Army Learning Model 

2015, the DOTD cadre trains Functional 

Area 40 Space Operations officers and 

Soldiers to refine their abilities to explain the relevance of 

Space to operations both in written and oral communications. 

The SOOQC has specific graded blocks of instruction on the 

development of staff skills, and a staff package that uses the 

USASMDC/ARSTRAT document templates to stress the use 

of approved formats. The students complete a five- to tenpage research paper on Space topics chosen and evaluated to 

enhance technical writing and how well the students explain 

their topic in Warfighter terminology. Lastly, the SOOQC 

cadre conducts “elevator brief ” sessions where a student is 

required in 60 to 90 seconds to explain a Space topic or problem to a non-Space senior leader (the Army Chief of Staff 

or G-3, for example). The term “elevator brief ” was derived 

from the instance of an opportunity to get leadership’s attention and succinctly brief them while confined in an elevator 

ride of short duration. Success is measured in terms of

• Mastering the technical aspects 

of Space-based capabilities

• Mastering the critical role Space-based 

capabilities play in enabling the Warfighter

• Mastering the critical role Space-based 

capabilities play in the current land component mission or operation

• Analyzing and articulating in Warfighter’s 

terms the “so what” or importance and impact 

of the critical Space-based capability

This is an important aspect presented in all DOTD courses, 

from the Space and Missile Defense fundamental course to 

equipment-specific Initial Qualification Training courses to 

advanced courses such as the SOOQC.

Upon the completion of 11 weeks of technical focused 

learning and now possessing that skill set, FA40 students 

in SOOQC are thrust into the three-day end of course 

Command Post Exercise where they demonstrate the leadership skills emphasized in the prior ten weeks in balance with 

their technical acumen. The exercise is structured utilizing 

current U.S. Central Command campaign and operational 

plans. A battle staff is formed from retired general officers 

with Space, staff, and operational backgrounds, senior Army 

FA40s, and other services’ Space professionals. Students role 

play various positions in Space echelons (division or corps 

Space Support Element, director of Space forces staff, Army 

Space Support Team, etc.) and are subjected to a gamut of 

challenging scenarios and vignettes.

The Space Officer Operations Qualification Course is a 

prominent part of the Future Warfare Center Directorate of 

Training and Doctrine’s lengthy educational catalog. In 2011 

more than 3,200 military and Civilian students completed 

Army Space and Missile Defense education through DOTD. 

On the doctrine side last year, the center authored 

operational analyses that have been key enablers to 

USASMDC/ARSTRAT, Army, and joint leaders as they made decisions to shape the force 

in the near and far term. Examples of studies 

impacting key decisions include the Ballistic 

Missile Defense Planning Order, Missile 

Defense Agency Business Case Analysis 

Air Breathing Threat Study, Tactical Space 

Protection Study, and the Tactical Satellite 

3 Joint Military Utility Analysis.

The Future Warfare Center in 2011 

was the focal point for the command’s 

capability development function–putting together what needs to be in place for 

“tomorrow” in Space and Missile Defense. 

We look forward to 2012 and years to come 

after that in meeting the coming challenges and 

needs of America’s national security through Army 

Space and Missile Defense.

S E C U R E T H E H I G H G R O U N D the 

Sun 

never 

Sets on 

USASMDC/

ArStrAt 

Concepts for Tomorrow in Space & Missile Defense were the focal 

point of the Future Warfare Center in 2011. 

 

cess
14 2012 Winter edition Army Space Journal

TECHNICAL EXPERTISE

&Dedicatio

he Technical Center (TC) is responsible for U.S. Army Space and 

Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command’s 

third core task: researching, testing, and integrating Space, Missile 

Defense, cyber, directed energy, and related technologies (day-aftertomorrow). This is our command’s materiel development function.

One of the TC’s focus areas for materiel development is 

in the area of nanosatellites. Since the successful spaceflight of 

the first SMDC-ONE satellite a year ago, the TC’s Space and 

Cyberspace Directorate-Responsive Space Division has been 

busy readying the remaining nine SMDC-ONE communications 

nanosatellites for flight as well as planning and developing new 

satellites to support the ground component Warfighter. SMDCONE was the first U.S. Army-developed satellite in 50 years and 

exceeded expectations as it provided communications relay and 

unattended ground sensor data exfiltration.

In 2011 the Army submitted three Responsive Space Division 

demonstration satellite programs to the Department of Defense 

Space Experiments Review Board (SERB) for spacelift: Kestrel 

Eye, a low-cost imaging satellite; SNaP-3, a low-cost, advanced 

communications satellite configuration; and Operationally 

Responsive Space Enabler Satellite (ORSES). ORSES is a joint 

program with the Operationally Responsive Space Office featuring an SMDC-ONE satellite bus with an advanced Software 

Defined Radio and Type-1 encryption module. Of the 63 candidate proposals submitted to the SERB, the three USASMDC/

ARSTRAT programs were all ranked in the top seven on the 

2011 SERB Priority List.

The Technical Center also has several materiel development initiatives in high-energy lasers, primarily supporting the 

Missile Defense/Counter Rockets, Artillery, and Mortar mission area. The Army, in cooperation with the High Energy Laser 

Joint Technology Office, was the first to generate more than 100 

kilowatts of power from a solidstate laser (SSL). This laboratory 

laser is the cornerstone of the Solid State Laser Test Bed, which 

T

Technical Center

Director 

 Debra G. Wymer
Army Space Journal 2012 Winter edition 15

is leveraging existing assets to characterize high-power laser beam propagation and conduct both static and 

dynamic lethality engagments against 

a variety of targets. The joint Robust 

Electric Laser Initiative (RELI) is 

developing the next generation SSL 

that will be compact, efficient, and rugged for mobile use. The High Energy 

Laser Technology Demonstrator 

(HELTD) is in the midst of acquisition and tracking testing against rocket, artillery, and mortar targets at White 

Sands Missile Range, N.M. The HELTD has a prototype 

beam control system and a user interface to its functioning 

battle management, command, control, and communications system. The High Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator 

effort will integrate SSL Test Bed experimental data, RELI 

lasers, the HELTD platform, and other technology products 

under development into progressively more powerful weapon-capable demonstrations for counter-rocket, artillery, and 

mortar; counter-unmanned aerial systems; and counter-sensors applications.

The Advanced Hypersonic Weapon (AHW) is a technology demonstration program in support of the Department 

of Defense’s Conventional Prompt Global Strike Program. 

The Technical Center served as the program manager for 

the Office of the Secretary of Defense and U.S. Strategic 

Command. The payload delivery vehicle for the AHW is the 

Hypersonic Glide Body (HGB). The HGB encompasses a 

number of new technologies with wide applicability across 

the entire spectrum of conventional Prompt Global Strike. 

The focus of the first flight test of the HGB was on thermal protection systems, internal thermal management, 

advanced navigation, guidance, and control concepts, and 

data collection. The development of the HGB was a collaborative effort between Sandia National Laboratories, 

the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research Development 

and Engineering Center, and the Technical Center. The first 

flight of the AHW took place Nov. 17, 2011. The AHW was 

launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Kauai, 

Hawaii, and flew to the Reagan Test Site at U.S. Army 

Kwajalein Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands. Initial 

review of the collected data suggests that the AHW met all 

of its test objectives.

The Reagan Test Site (RTS) is managed by the 

USASMDC/ARSTRAT Technical Center. It also achieved 

several milestones in 2011. In September RTS Space 

Operations declared full operational capability in Huntsville, 

Ala. After several years of planning, and an execution 

timeline that spanned the last two years, RTS is now conducting 100 percent of its tasked U.S. Strategic Command 

Space Situational Awareness support missions from the 

RTS Operations Center-Huntsville. Successfully bridging 

a geographical gap of more than 7,300 miles and 18 time 

zones, all four Kiernan Reentry Measurement Site sensors 

(ALTAIR, TRADEX, ALCOR, and MMW) located on the 

island of Roi-Namur in the Marshall Islands are now fully 

commanded and controlled for RTS Space Operations from 

Huntsville via two diverse fiber optic paths.

Another significant accomplishment was the upgrade 

of the Millimeter Wave (MMW) radar. MMW was upgraded from 2 GHz to 4 GHz, making it the highest resolution imaging radar in the world. This improvement 

increased RTS’s imaging resolution capability from 12 centimeters down to six centimeters. As a contributing sensor 

in the Space Surveillance Network, RTS now provides 

the highest resolution radar images for Space Object 

Identification of any asset in the network. 

Combined with its unique geographic location, this makes MMW a true national asset.

As we move into a new year, 2012 holds 

lots of promise for the command’s materiel 

development efforts. The Long-Endurance 

Multi-Intelligence Vehicle will conduct 

its demonstration, we will continue our 

advancements in small satellite work to be 

prepared for a launch and technology demonstration, and we will move forward for 

next steps with the AHW program. These 

are just some of the highlights that reflect the 

technical expertise and dedication of the men 

and women supporting the Technical Center. Our 

goal is to provide relevant Space, Missile Defense, 

directed energy, and related technology 

that supports Warfighters, enhances their 

mission success, and ultimately save lives.

S E C U R E T H E H I G H G R O U N D

on

the 

Sun 

never 

Sets on 

USASMDC/

ArStrAt 

Supporting Warfighters, 

with relevant Space & Missile Defense related 

technology to enhance the mission and save lives.
16 2012 Winter edition Army Space Journal

 From Achievements

>> Page 5

relevant than ever. We have a great team providing those 

capabilities today, tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow. 

Priorities for 2012.

We must remain focused on accomplishing our three core tasks 

while being disciplined stewards of the nation’s resources. It’s 

what we do. We must ensure our command’s activities are nested with STRATCOM and Department of the Army campaign 

plans. We will synchronize our USASMDC/ARSTRAT and 

JFCC IMD campaign support plans with the STRATCOM and 

Army campaign plans, and subsequently align our command 

priorities with theirs.

In our operations function, we will continue to provide 

Space and Missile Defense forces and capabilities in support 

of the combatant commands and Warfighters. On any given 

day, we have approximately 850 operational forces supporting the Ballistic Missile Defense System and Space operations 

around the world: United States-based, forward-stationed, 

or deployed. That includes five Space support and commercial imagery teams currently deployed. We will deploy another eight teams in 2012 as part of the Army’s nine-month 

deployment cycle.

We will provide Space and Missile Defense forces in support of 11 combatant command, Warfighter, and mission 

rehearsal exercises, including STRATCOM’s Global Thunder 

and Global Lightning. These events provide an opportunity 

to train the way we plan to fight in all our mission areas and 

ensure we are prepared for crisis operations. Our satellite communications operations and planning support, Joint Tactical 

Ground Station in-theater missile warning, and Friendly Force 

Tracking will continue to provide critical capabilities to the 

geographic combatant commanders. We must maintain the 

level of support we provide today and look for ways to exploit 

more capability from those assets.

In 2012 we will complete a modernization project for our 

Fort Detrick, Md.-based Wideband Satellite Communications 

Operations Center, with modernization under way at two 

other sites at Fort Meade, Md., and Landstuhl, Germany. We 

will continue to work with MDA and the Army to deploy the 

next AN/TPY-2 FBM radar, as part of the Phased Adaptive 

Approach.

In our capability development function, we have several 

Doctrine, Organization, Training, Materiel, Leadership and 

Education, Personnel, and Facilities efforts that are important to the Army in 2012. We will inform and influence the 

Total Army Analysis and the Army 2020 study by working 

closely with Headquarters Department of the Army and 

Training and Doctrine Command to integrate Space, high 

altitude, and Missile Defense capabilities in support of 

future Army operations. We will complete the Persistent 

Platform Capabilities Description Document. This will provide a basis for requirements for the Army regarding high 

altitude platforms.

We will, as directed by the Army Space Strategic Plan, 

complete the Space Operations White Paper and also provide recommendations based on our assessment of Space 

Knowledge Training for the Army. We will complete transition 

of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense Operators Course 

from MDA to the Army and teach more than 2,800 Space and 

Missile Defense Soldiers, Civilians, and joint service members. 

And we will continue to provide studies and analysis support 

to help inform Army and joint operational and program decisions.

In our materiel development function, we have several 

milestones in 2012 for key efforts. They start with preparing 

for the deployment of the LEMV to theater; first flight of our 

low-cost ballistic missile target alternative, the Economical 

Target-1, in February; and the initial high-power demonstration of the High Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator with a 

10 kW laser. We also will progress toward nanosatellite demonstrations, including the National Reconnaissance Officesponsored Operationally Unique Technologies Satellite 

launch this summer; provide innovative technology in support of the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat 

Organization; and sustain Space tracking operations and test 

support at the U.S. Army Kwajalein Atoll/Reagan Test Site, as 

we develop an Army strategy for long-term sustainment of 

this strategic asset.

Epilogue

Publishing this foundational speech in the Army Space Journal 

provides our readers information about what occurred in 2011 

and the direction USASMDC/ARSTRAT is heading for 2012. 

I am very proud of the great team of Soldiers, Civilians, and 

contractors who accomplish our mission, in concert with our 

partners in industry, academia, allies, and other federal agencies.

S E C U R E T H E H I G H G R O U N D
Army Space Journal 2012 Winter edition 17

 From Civilians 

>> Page 9

fashion, resources are planned and provided, and forces and equipment are trained and ready to operate when 

needed. Civilians were at the heart of this effort, working to resolve challenges that popped up every day, such as 

force structure, resources, training, environment, life support, and host nation sensitivities. Their subject-matter 

expertise and organizational knowledge helped Soldier and 

Civilian leaders work through the challenges and ensure 

the radar and operators were trained and ready to meet the 

President’s schedule for the deployment.

In our materiel development function, we have a team 

of Civilians and Soldiers hard at work to bring another 

high visibility program to bear–the Long Endurance MultiIntelligence Vehicle. This first-of-its-kind hybrid airship 

has been on an accelerated prototype development schedule, and we are planning for a first flight in early 2012, followed by range testing in the spring. This effort is one 

of USASMDC/ARSTRAT’s priorities for 2012, and the 

entire command is contributing resources to support the 

Department of Defense’s battlefield requirements for persistent surveillance. Led by our Technology Center, the 

team leans hard on its Civilian expertise to provide operational, technical, and analytical support to ensure the vehicle is able to meet Warfighter requirements and enable 

mission success on the battlefield.

Additionally, our Civilians, working with several organizations outside the command, apply their technical, 

engineering, and management skills on programs such as 

the Advanced Hypersonic Weapon, whose first flight in 

November 2011 exceeded all test expectations. Our counter-improvised explosive device work continues to help 

save lives on the battlefield. These new technologies will 

help our commanders maintain a decisive edge on the battlefield.

In summary, the work of our Civilians in USASMDC/

ARSTRAT is critical to our mission success and an integral 

part of the Profession of Arms. What we do may not be 

well known by Soldiers on the battlefield, and may be seen as 

part of that reach-back capability they know is there, but the 

Soldier’s mission is enabled by what we do every day–deliver 

Space and Missile Defense capabilities to the Nation and to 

the Warfighter. It has been my honor to serve with you for 

the past three years. 

S E C U R E T H E H I G H G R O U N D

the 

Sun 

never 

Sets on 

USASMDC/

ArStrAt 

Dr. Steven L. Messervy officially retired in February 2012 

as the Deputy to the Commander of the U.S. Army Space 

and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic 

Command. Dr. Messervy has more than 30 years experience 

in the research, development, and acquisition business. He 

also was a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, completing 

group and brigade command tours.

Dr. Steven L. Messervy talks about the Swiss army knives 

he was about to present to his father and four sons at his 

retirement ceremony. Photo by Carrie E. David 

 On to the 

next Mission
18 Army Space Journal 2012 Winter edition

 Key Players

‘Always in the

 Title Game’

spACe

pros

 BY DOTTiE WHiTE & raCHEl l. GriFFiTH, 

 USaSMDC/arSTraT PUBliC aFFairS
Army Space Journal 2012 Winter Edition 19

Global

Support

p.20

Helping

You

p.22

Middle 

East 

p.24

Europe

p. 25

Pacific 

p.26

United

States

p.27

Best

Crew

p.46

Earth’s military and political hot spots are pretty obvious 

when you look at a map of assets belonging to the U.S. Army 

Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic 

Command. Sixteen locations form a line that runs east to west, 

from Japan and Korea, across the Mideast and Europe, to 

California and Hawaii. The line also dips into the Pacific Ocean 

for the command’s Space radar and test site at Kwajalein Atoll 

and swoops into Alaska for the Missile Defense installation at 

Fort Greely.

USASMDC/ARSTRAT operations located along the line 

have easy connectivity to all the regions represented by the 

Department of Defense’s unified commands. In an era of persistent warfare and rogue nations, Afghanistan and its neighbors 

are key places. Within that region, the command’s 1st Space 

Brigade supplies Space-based expertise and products to U.S. 

and allied forces in Afghanistan, while the 100th Missile Defense 

Brigade is on constant watch against missile attacks. 

The Army Space Journal invites you to tour the command’s 

world. We start with words of welcome from the brigade commanders, then visit customers across the globe. 

The 

Globe 

Visited
20 Army Space Journal 2012 Winter edition

In keeping America and its allies safe, the sun truly never sets on Soldiers of the U.S. 

Army Space and Missile Defense Command/

Army Forces Strategic Command.

As the Army’s proponent for Space 

and ground-based midcourse defense and 

the operational integrator for global ballistic 

Missile Defense, USASMDC/ARSTRAT has a 

number of units around the globe affiliated 

with the 1st Space Brigade and 100th Missile 

Defense Brigade.

The 1st Space Brigade provides 24-hour 

satellite communications support and early missile warning around the world. In the Europe 

and Pacific regions specifically, the brigade has 

two primary Space support missions, according 

to COL Eric P. Henderson, its commander.

“One is enduring and the other is on 

call,” Henderson said. “Soldiers at forwardstationed units such as Joint Tactical Ground 

Stations, or JTAGS, and Wideband Satellite 

Communications Operations Centers live day 

in and day out within the European Command 

and Pacific Command regions. They are a part 

of the tactical, operational, and strategic community providing early missile warning and satellite payload control.

“Additionally, deployable units such as 

Commercial Imagery Teams and Army Space 

Support Teams, residing within the brigade, 

stand ready to deploy on short notice to support operational plans to units that reside in 

these two areas of operations,” he added.

Definite technical skills are required of 

Soldiers assigned in these two fields.

“These Soldiers must be proficient in both 

operational and maintenance areas of expertise,” Henderson said. “Soldiers with innate 

leadership and unflappable demeanor are the 

norm within these mission areas.”

Henderson proudly described his brigade’s 

mission as unique.

“There is no ‘2nd Space Brigade.’ We are 

a one-of-a-kind organization with a vast global area of influence,” he said. “The Soldiers, 

Civilians, and contractors on my team do not 

have the luxury of ‘taking a knee’ while someone else or some other Soldier performs the 

mission that is ours. We are the provider of 

‘trained and ready’ Space and Missile Defense 

forces for this command. It is not a mission 

that is taken lightly.”

Another element of the command, the 

100th Missile Defense Brigade (Ground-based 

Command’s Brigades Trained & 

ready for Worldwide Customers

GloBAl support

space support

provides communication 

and navigation, anticipates 

weather, and protects forces 

based on combat and support 

assets available from Space.

satellite 

Communications

provides worldwide, highvolume, voice and data 

communications necessary 

to the Warfighter.

1st space 

BRIGADE
Army Space Journal 2012 Winter edition 21 

Midcourse Defense), is responsible for providing 

trained and ready Missile Defense forces to the 

commander of U.S. Northern Command in support of the mission to defend the United States 

against ballistic missile attacks.

We do this by operating key command and 

control nodes in Colorado, Alaska, and California 

24/7/365 with highly trained and certified 

Soldiers,” said COL Gregory S. Bowen, brigade 

commander. “In addition to operating the global 

missile defense system, the 100th is responsible 

for protecting and securing the Missile Defense 

Complex at Fort Greely, Alaska. The military police from Alpha Company, 49th Missile 

Defense Battalion conduct the security mission 

24/7/365, enduring all of the weather extremes 

the interior of Alaska has to offer.

“Finally, the 100th is a force provider for the 

AN/TPY-2 radars,” he added. “These radars provide fire control data to the global missile defense 

system as well as supporting regional operations 

in several geographic combatant command areas 

of responsibility.” AN/TPY-2 radars are located 

in Japan, Israel, and Turkey.

Bowen says that being the only Missile Defense 

brigade in the U.S. military brings challenges.

“Most Army units train, deploy, and perform 

their mission, then return home and reset. In contrast, the 100th is essentially deployed in place, 

executing its wartime mission 24/7/365,” Bowen 

said. “We never get the down time, and as a result, 

we don’t ‘fit’ well into what the rest of the Army 

is doing.

“Certified ground-based midcourse defense 

operators are a very scarce commodity; at any 

given time, there are about 75 Soldiers certified 

to operate the system,” he added. “Managing the 

careers of these low-density specialists is one of 

the critical challenges we face.”

Bowen said the training and mastery of the 

system are paramount as this is a no-fail mission.

“Beyond the tactical and technical skills you 

would expect the Soldiers to have, they must display a high level of commitment to the mission,” 

he said. “We have a very demanding certification 

program which the GMD operators must complete every six months in order to remain qualified.

“There are similar programs for the military 

police and for the Soldiers in the radar detachments,” he added. “The commitment comes into 

play as the Soldiers battle complacency. There are 

threats out there, so the Missile Defense crews 

and the MPs must maintain a very high state of 

readiness at all times, and under all types of conditions. They maintain this ‘razor’s edge’ of readiness without any fanfare or accolades. They are 

quiet professionals who are doing a critical job 

on behalf of our nation; our citizens can go to 

sleep at night knowing they are out there, ready 

to defend the homeland at a moment’s notice.”

These two unique brigades provide support 

to numerous customers around the globe. Some 

of these customers spoke highly of the brigades’ 

unique abilities in support of the Warfighter.

JTAGS detachments are located in Germany, 

Qatar, Japan, and South Korea. They supply realtime reporting and tracking of tactical ballistic 

missile launches to theater and national commanders by processing infra-red data from Defense 

Support Program and Space-Based Infrared 

System satellites.

“Simply put JTAGS is indispensable for this 

base. Every second counts,” said Air Force Col. 

Van A. Wimmer Jr., vice commander of the 35th 

Fighter Wing at Misawa Air Base, Japan.

“You can imagine how amazed the command and I were when we got here and understood what JTAGS was, never having been 

exposed to what they do. But then also to know 

they understand the threat to us and give us a lot 

of instruction. They pick up the phone and call 

us directly to give us that warning, and they get it 

before anyone else.”

“JTAGS Korea has a 24-hour real world mission that compliments what we do here as a forward-deployed Patriot battalion. Their job is to 

provide early missile warning to the Korean peninsula,” said CSM Timothy D. Hockenberry, 6th 

Battalion, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 

at Suwon Air Base, South Korea.

“Early missile warning for us is definitely 

something that we need. It benefits the systems 

we have organic to our battalion, anything that 

can extend the reach that we have. It allows our 

commander to determine which resources available to him are the better, or the best way, to 

combat that threat. We use it every day.”

AN-tpY2 

radar system

protects deployed forces and 

allies from ballistic missile 

threats, it is designed to 

detect, track and discriminate 

ballistic missile threats.

Ground Based 

Interceptor missile

The nation’s only long-range 

ballistic missile defense 

system. Designed to intercept 

incoming warheads in Space

they are quiet 

professionals who 

are doing a critical 

job on behalf of 

our nation; our 

citizens can go 

to sleep at night 

knowing they are 

out there, ready 

to defend the 

homeland at a 

moment’s notice.

100th 

missile 

defense

BRIGADE
22 Army Space Journal 2012 Winter Edition

Mike Connolly is Director of the Army Space Professional Development Office for the 

U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/

Army Forces Strategic Command. The office provides 

talent management for Functional Army 40 (FA40) 

Space Operations officers and develops opportunities 

for FA40s across the Army and join force structure, 

including USASMDC/ARSTRAT customers.

In today’s world, Space is becoming normalized 

for many people. The early cadre of FA40s when the 

career field was first designated back in 1999 brought 

something new. We brought a capability that talked to 

Warfighters about Space-related capabilities, talked about 

satellites, whether it’s communications or infrared detection. That was kind of new to the Army. Now, you go 

out to your car and you have GPS. Plug your ATM card 

into a machine and it’s based on GPS. Space is normalized not only in the Army but in society. When there 

are operational Warfighters out there and they haven’t 

thought about an aspect of Space, how it can support an 

operation, that’s what the FA40s bring.

From an FA40 perspective and from the proponency side of the house, we are going to try to work with 

every organization that wants an FA40. We want to make 

sure we are getting FA40s to where the customer wants 

them. Operational commands are asking for FA40s on a 

recurring basis. For example, the special operations community came on line about 18 months ago to say they 

would like an FA40 at their group level. We have now 

worked through the process and those billets are documented on future manning authorization documents. 

That’s a success story we have been able to do with the 

special operations community, the one that is most visible right now.

It’s a very good news story for the Army Space community. Customers want FA40s. We continue to get 

phone calls, people saying, “I want an FA40 and am willing to do whatever it takes to get one.” That’s not a result 

of the work we are doing in this office. It’s a result of 

the work the FA40s out in the field are doing. People are 

reacting and saying, “That’s the kind of guy I need.” The 

FA40s are doing great work.

HelpING them Help You

Professional Development Office 

Works to Meet Customers’ Needs
Army Space Journal 2012 Winter Edition 23

THe Customer 

Perspectives 

1st Space Brigade Soldiers use access to satellites to ensure Warfighters on the ground receive the support they need.  Photos by Rachel L. Griffith
24 Army Space Journal 2012 Winter edition

CSM Marvin Hill

Interviewed while serving as Senior Enlisted Leader, International 

Security Assistance Force /United States Forces-Afghanistan

Our Soldiers are as technically savvy as they come. They are 

“real time” Soldiers. They are very comfortable with whatever 

we throw at them. The real challenge is providing the proper 

training prior to deployment that would allow the leaders to 

integrate the latest devices into their tactical plan.

I’m not sure if knowing who provides Space and Missile 

Defense capabilities is all that important to Soldiers. They 

know that it works. They know that there are far more capabilities to forge the fight, provide force protection, and locate 

potential threats then there were during their last deployment. 

They are familiar with the menu and often select the appropriate tools from the menu.

I am aware of both elements–JTAGS in Qatar and the 

Army Space Support Teams in Afghanistan. It’s kind of hard 

to comment on a unit whose job is to keep stuff from happening. In all fairness to JTAGS, Missile Defense was not one of 

the things that kept me up at night. Unfortunately for them, 

they do not have the pleasure of saying, “My bad, it won’t happen again.” They are always in the title game.

We are making tremendous strides in Afghanistan. Our 

troopers have defined winning in their areas. Winning is something that we can apply a cookie-cutter approach to. They know 

what it takes to provide a safe and secure Afghanistan that is 

secured by the Afghanistan National Security Forces. They are 

getting there. Yet, they also understand how fragile and reversible 

their progress can be.

Col. Clinton 

Crosier, USaF

Director of Space Forces 

in Afghanistan

It’s been my experience that our Army 

Space pros are excellent planners and 

doctrinal thinkers with diverse backgrounds and experiences. Our Air 

Force Space pros bring capabilitybased knowledge and expertise from 

their work with the actual satellite systems. This combination 

makes the Space team extremely effective. A team of joint Space 

operators is exponentially more effective than a single-service 

team. Throw in interagency disciplines from our intelligence 

community, and we have a truly operational think tank. Senior 

officers often have commented on the innovative atmosphere 

in the DIRSPACEFOR shop. I attribute that directly to the 

diversity of our shop and our ability to share information and 

ideas across disciplines and across components.

Information sharing has come a long way over the last 

ten years. Ten years ago, National Technical Means was a foreign concept to tactical units. Satellite communications was 

only available to higher echelon headquarters. Blue Force 

Tracking was in its infancy. It’s hard to believe how far we’ve 

come. I think our overall efforts to integrate Space across the 

warfighting functions have enabled this fundamental shift to 

how we handle data.

We are capable, collectively, of producing a myriad of 

Space force enhancement products and Space control effects 

to address challenges at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels. However, Space elements are typically small and 

resource limited. We cannot be everywhere all the time. Our 

challenge is to be at the right place at the right time with the 

right information to make the biggest impact. We can optimize our value through the planning process–planning to the 

left, as we call it.

Mastery of our tools is an important skill in warfare. 

We’ve found that our tools can be used in ways for which they 

were not designed. You can get more juice per squeeze if you 

open up to new ideas. We’ve tried to create an atmosphere 

where mission accomplishment serves as the catalyst for the 

application of technology. Technology does not accomplish 

the mission; people do!

Middle East
Army Space Journal 2012 Winter edition 25 

CSM Thomas Capel

Former Command Sergeant Major, U.S. Army Europe

Now serving as the Senior Enlisted Leader, International 

Security Assistance Force/United States Forces-Afghanistan

I don’t think USASMDC/ARSTRAT is getting out and beating 

their chest about all the things they do on the battlefield. They 

just do it. They’ve been doing a great job bringing equipment, 

technology, electronic warfare, and other things into the theater 

that help us find improvised explosive devices before they go 

off and hurt our Soldiers, since IEDs are the biggest threat 

and the biggest casualty-producing weapon on the battlefield. 

USASMDC/ARSTRAT has been focused on how to defeat 

the IED network for many years. And we are not all the way 

there yet, but we are a lot further ahead than we were in 2003 

and 2004.

Every year there is some type of capability being built, 

some type of new weapon system being found by USASMDC/

ARSTRAT to help Warfighters on the battlefield to help those 

guys get places safely before they walk over or step on or run 

over an IED. And they make sure they get to the people who 

need to have it on the battlefield.

It’s just amazing now how we can look at our objectives 

by the imagery technology from Space and Missile Defense 

satellites, look at our targets before we get out and hit them. 

We know exactly where we’re going; we see the enemy first. 

That comes from the communications and computer satellite 

systems provided by USASMDC/ARSTRAT. We give service 

members a huge advantage by this. It’s not a total surprise for 

them when they get to the objective; they’ve already seen it.

It’s just amazing now how we 

can look at our objectives by the 

imagery technology from space 

and missile defense satellites, 

look at our targets before we 

get out and hit them. 

Europe 

Soldiers working at Wideband Satellite Operations Centers 

and Joint Tactical Ground Stations are forward deployed 

worldwide ensuring 24/7 vital mission support to the 

Warfighter.  Photos by Rachel L. Griffi th
26 Army Space Journal 2012 Winter edition

MG Michael T. 

Harrison Sr.

Commander, U.S. Army 

Japan/I Corps

forward deployed

We all benefit from the capability 

provided by U.S. Army Space and 

Missile Defense Command/Army 

Forces Strategic Command. Some 

of the capability we take for granted, especially in communications and imagery, is simply not possible without Space Soldiers and the USASMDC/ARSTRAT. 

In my role as commander of U.S. Army Japan and I Corps 

(Forward), much of the imagery we used during Operation 

Tomodachi here in Japan was made possible through the professional efforts of USASMDC/ARSTRAT.

I am very familiar with both of the sites in Japan. 

The sites in Okinawa and Misawa are critical to our military operations throughout the entire Pacific Command 

area of responsibility. As the commander for the U.S. 

Army component command in Japan, I closely monitor 

and have responsibilities pertaining to all activities involving U.S. Army Soldiers and their Families throughout 

all of Japan.

Our well-trained Army long ago developed a highly 

skilled and technically proficient force with the best noncommissioned officer corps in the world. To maintain this professionalism and proficiency, Space Soldiers are particularly 

important to not only the U.S. Army but also to the U.S. armed 

forces and our allies as well. These Soldiers represent one of 

our more important low-density military occupational specialties, so it becomes vitally important that we continue to focus 

our best efforts on their professional training, education, and 

development. This includes selecting the highest performers 

who have demonstrated the potential for increased levels of 

responsibility to serve as our noncommissioned officers. The 

responsibilities, competence, and resiliency required of Space 

Soldiers cannot be overstated; the Army and the Nation need 

them now more than ever given the potential threats we face.

Lt. Col. Tony 

Jarry, USaF

Command Post Chief, 

Misawa Air Base, Japan

JTAGS Japan is a close-knit team 

of highly professional Soldiers who 

represent the U.S. Army very well. 

I’m proud to serve with them here 

at Misawa Air Base. They provide 

an active Missile Defense system to 

Misawa Air Base and the surrounding community. This capability affords the 35th Fighter Wing and surrounding area a 24/7 

defensive posture. Operationally, the early warning missile system allows the wing to prepare to deploy and fight in the Pacific 

Air Forces area of responsibility safely by providing us an early 

missile warning capability.

As we move forward with less funding and a smaller military force, we’re going to increasingly rely on technology to 

help us fight and win wars. This means Soldiers are going to 

have to understand the systems they work with more intimately as well as know how to use them in both conventional and 

unconventional ways. It’s not enough to have smart technology. We’ve got to have smarter, more technically educated 

Soldiers that can exploit the technology they’re using.

Space and Missile Defense have been and will always be 

a large part of our nation’s defensive posture. A good offense 

is strengthened through a good defense. As the long arm of 

the military reaches farther out, Space and Missile Defense is 

going to play a larger role in our nation’s capability to defend, 

fight, and win wars.

Pacific

Teams of Soldiers are ready to deploy 

in-theater on short-notice to support 

Operation Enduring Freedom.

Photos by Rachel L. Griffi th and 

CPT Brendan Curran.
Army Space Journal 2012 Winter edition 27 

CSM James N. ross

Command Sergeant Major, 32nd Army Air and 

Missile Defense Command, Fort Bliss, Texas

Formerly Command Sergeant Major, 1st Space Brigade

I think that the majority of the Soldiers in the Army, regardless 

of their career fields, understand the importance of Space and 

its capabilities. The average Soldiers rely on GPS and satellite 

communications as a basic part of their duties. At the same 

time, I know that most Soldiers do not understand the unique 

mission sets provided by USASMDC/ARSTRAT, for instance, 

Space control, missile warning, intelligence, surveillance, and 

reconnaissance, special missions, and satellite payload control. 

This has been a challenge for USASMDC/ARSTRAT, because 

it is difficult to educate the force due to the classification level 

of the operational missions.

The command is a great place to develop more technologically sound Soldiers. The Space career field is leading the Army 

in development of weapon systems, communication platforms, 

sensors, and command and control architecture. USASMDC/

ARSTRAT focuses a lot on the strategic level of warfare, and 

most Soldiers do not operate at that level in conventional Army 

units. Soldiers in USASMDC/ARSTRAT learn to operate in 

teams, and most enlisted Soldiers will have responsibilities far 

greater than their current pay grade. Most Soldiers who serve a 

tour there will leave the command more competent, confident, 

and educated, which translates into future success. Their experience will benefit any unit in the Army.

I think the Space Professionals and Space Cadre of 

USASMDC/ARSTRAT are the critical link in educating the 

force. Their performance in support of theater and regional 

areas of operations is the best way to show their value. The 

Space Support Elements and Army Space Support Teams 

are critical to the reputation and legacy of Space operations 

because they are working daily with the maneuver forces at the 

corps and division levels.

USASMDC/ARSTRAT 

focuses a lot on the 

strategic level of warfare,

and most soldiers do not operate at that 

level in conventional Army units. soldiers 

learn to operate in teams, and most 

enlisted soldiers will have responsibilities 

far greater than their current pay grade.

United States
28 Army Space Journal 2012 Winter edition

Vandenberg, CA

Houston, tX 

Fort Greely, AK

Colorado Springs, CO

Stuttgart, Germany

Landstuhl, Germany

Huntsville, AL

Mac Dill, FL

Fort Detrick, MD

A Wahiawa, Hi

B

C

E

D

H

F

J

I

G

CIt

provides unclassified 

commercial imagery 

to U.S. and coalition 

forces, as well as other 

government agencies.

sse

provides Space 

support in garrison 

to their respective 

headquarters and 

subordinate units

rssC

Provides a single 

point of contact for 

the units they support, planning usage 

for satellite communications resources.

WsoC

controls the communications payload 

and communications 

transmissions 

of the DSCS and 

WGS constellations

 Space Operations

 Missile Defense Operations

 Satellite Communications

Headquarters, Future Warfare 

Center, Technical Center and 

Army Astronauts
Army Space Journal 2012 Winter edition 29 

Okinawa, Japan

Misawa, Japan

Kurecik, turkey

Osan, Korea

Kwajalein Atoll, 

Marshall islands

negev Desert,israel

Doha, Qatar

O

P

N

K

Q

L

M

JtAGs

provides in-theater 

early missile warning 

support to combatant 

commanders around 

the world. 

Arsst

provides broadband 

communications, making 

possible in-theater Space 

analysis, Space 

support products, &

 Space planning

A Wahiawa, Hi 

• D Company, 53rd Signal Battalion

• Regional SATCOM Support Center

B Fort Greely, AK 

• 49th Missile Defense Battalion

C Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA

• 100th Missile Defense Brigade

D Colorado Springs, CO

• USASMDC/ARSTRAT Headquarters

• Future Warfare Center

• 1st Space Brigade

• 100th Missile Defense Brigade (GMD)

• Global SATCOM

e Houston, tX 

• Army Astronaut Detachment 

F Fort Detrick, MD

• A & B Company, 53rd Signal Battalion

G MacDill, FL

• Regional SATCOM Support Center

H Huntsville, AL

• USASMDC/ARSTRAT Headquarters

• Technical Center

• Future Warfare Center

• TCM - Space & Global Missile Defense

i Landstuhl, Germany

• C Company,53rd Signal Battalion

J Stuttgart, Germany

• JTAGS Joint Tactical Ground Station

• RSSC Regional SATCOM Support Center

K Osan, Korea

• JTAGS Joint Tactical Ground Station

L Okinawa, Japan

• E Company, 53rd Signal Battalion

M Misawa, Japan

• JTAGS Joint Tactical Ground Station

• AN/TPY-2 Forward Based Mode

n Doha, Qatar

• JTAGS Joint Tactical Ground Station

• ARSST Army Space Support Team

• CIT Commercial Imagery Team

• SSE Space Support Element

O Kurecik, turkey

• AN/TPY-2 Forward Based Mode

P negev Desert, israel

• AN/TPY-2 Forward Based Mode

Q Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall islands

• Reagan Test Site

A Global Command
30 Army Space Journal 2012 Winter Edition

The Military Problem

When considering future paths for the development and deployment of Space capabilities to 

support land combat operations, the required 

capabilities found in the Army Capstone 

Concept (ACC) and Army Operating Concept 

(AOC) serve as baselines for Army Space 

requirements, requirements that can be articulated to the joint Space communities responsible 

for the actual development and servicing of these 

assets. When considering the central ideas of these 

concepts we must ask the following questions. How 

do we assure access to the most important Space force 

enhancement capabilities for our tactical forces? How do 

we diversify our capability portfolio or employment procedures to mitigate an increasingly contested environment? 

What technologies do we pursue? How do we better leverage joint, coalition, and commercial partner capabilities? How 

do we develop and train our leaders to exploit better the advantages of our Space capabilities? The Army must answer these 

questions to make certain it has dependable access to Spaceenabled capabilities.

Assured Tactical Access to Space

Meeting the challenges presented in the ACC and AOC–especially the characteristics of “operational adaptability” and “operating decentralized”–will place greater demands on our leaders 

and command-and-control mechanisms. It will be necessary to 

develop capabilities that deliver Space down to the lowest tactical level, the “tactical edge.” Operating decentralized will require 

a s s u r e d

Tactical

a c c e s s

The following article was excerpted from 

a white paper, Assured Tactical Access 

to Space, a concept document produced to Space

by Dave Carrithers, Frank Cox, and 

George Luker of the Concepts and 

War Games Division of the U.S. Army 

Space and Missile Defense Battle Lab. 

The complete white paper can be found 

on the Army Space Journal Website.
Army Space Journal 2012 Winter Edition 31

competent and confident leaders supported by reliable 

capabilities that will enable communications, situational 

awareness, and superior decision-making. The Army modularity construct itself requires that units are dislocated 

geographically from higher headquarters; smaller Army 

units operate increasingly detached from, and independent of, more fixed and stable higher-level command-andcontrol (C2) headquarters. This increased responsibility 

has stressed not only the capabilities and skill sets of 

our younger leaders but has also outpaced the technical 

capabilities to keep these organizations connected. Thus, 

Army modularity, and the AOC, demand that tactical units 

have Space capabilities1–those capabilities once seen only 

at division-and-above will need to be accessed down to 

the lowest echelons. Space-based communications and 

Global Positioning System (GPS) are “must haves” that 

allow communications at long distances on the move and 

deliver accurate positioning, navigation, and timing information. They provide the capabilities and capacities for 

the Army to increase the coverage of operating areas, to 

have precise knowledge of troop locations, and to deliver 

fires more accurately.

Along with satellite communications (SATCOM) 

and GPS, Army Warfighters also depend on other 

Space-force enhancement assets, namely those on-orbit 

intelligence-and-warning resources that provide missile warning and overall battlespace characterization. A 

number of Space systems offer land Warfighters valuable 

battlespace situational awareness and missile warning. 

In particular, the Overhead Persistent Infrared program 

offers both missile warning and intelligence, real-time 

critical dependencies for theater commanders’ decisionmaking and the execution of tactical ground missions. 

If the Army of the future is to fight effectively when 

decentralized–and at the same time maintain operational adaptability–assured tactical access to Space becomes 

imperative.2 Simply put, this means Space must be delivered when and where Warfighters need it for mission 

accomplishment.

Supporting Ideas

Four supporting ideas contribute to the development and 

delivery of assured tactical access to Space capabilities. 

Although Space is often considered an esoteric and technical domain, the ideas that follow spread across the whole 

doctrine, organizations, training, materiel, leadership and 

education, personnel, and facilities-solutions construct and 

oblige the Army to take a more holistic approach toward 

them, an approach that goes beyond simply developing 

and procuring more user devices.

These ideas are:

•	 Diversifying architectures using a multidomain approach

•	 Influencing partners’ capabilities and programs

•	 Gaining and maintaining advantages to 

tactical Space access

•	 Building versatile and adaptable Army Space organizations

•	 Diversifying Architectures Using a Multi-Domain Approach

It is no longer the case that the Army operates in an 

assured and non-contested Space environment. In the 

early stages of Operation Iraqi Freedom, for instance, 

the Iraqis attempted to jam GPS signals with jammers 

readily available for purchase online. Thus, the Army 

must be prepared to fight in denied, degraded, and disrupted Space operational environments.3

 To prepare to 

fight Space capabilities in a contested Space environment, 

it is incumbent on the Army to follow a multidomain 

approach by advocating for and leveraging capabilities in 

the terrestrial, aerial, high-altitude, and Space layers. This 

approach would diversify networks; it would construct a 

NetOps environment that builds secure and reinforcing 

information architectures; and it would create a redundant, 

reliable system of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) platforms and payloads. A multidomain 

approach provides defense-in-depth, making it both 
32 Army Space Journal 2012 Winter edition

difficult and resource-intensive 

to attack military communications and ISR delivery systems. 

A multi-domain approach not 

only provides resiliency it also grows bandwidth capacity, increasing the likelihood of 

timely tactical access. Finally, operating over 

widely dispersed operating areas, and in the 

most austere environments, will challenge 

Army Warfighters to establish and maintain communications links–a multi-domain 

approach will be required for wide-area and 

austere operations in order to establish networks swiftly and securely.

Influencing Partners’ 

Capabilities and Programs

When considering the Army’s growing dependencies on Space, it is important to realize that 

the Army is fully dependent on the joint community and commercial markets. The Army 

does not primarily build, launch, and operate 

any Space systems. In past cases, the Army was 

unable to voice capability requirements or prioritize operational requirements. The Army’s 

approach was to focus on building terminals 

that leveraged pre-existing on-orbit capabilities. 

The Army should avoid this approach in the 

future. In the future, the Army must use the 

Army Concept Framework as an opportunity 

to flex its institutional muscles, to articulate 

and justify its operational requirements to 

the joint Space community–the goal being 

to ensure strategic on-orbit assets will 

deliver tactical effects for the Army when and 

where they are needed.4

The emerging joint Operationally 

Responsive Space (ORS) program offers an 

opportunity for the Army to influence the 

development of rapid-response Space solutions intended to solve operational problems 

or fill the gaps in under-serviced regions. If 

executed as currently conceived, combatant command commanders would be able to 

leverage ORS satellites for land-component 

operations under their areas of responsibility 

for ISR and satellite communications.

In the case of SATCOM, the joint Space 

communities’ capacity has already been outstripped by operational demands. To meet 

the growing appetite for bandwidth, the joint 

warfighting community has turned to the commercial market to meet over 80 percent of its 

wideband SATCOM needs.5

 Programs such as 

the Transformational Communications Satellite 

were intended to reverse this trend. However, 

competing funding demands and schedule delays led to the cancellation of this program with no suitable replacement identified 

(Figure 1).

3500

3000

2500

2000

1500

1000

500

0 0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

DEPLOYED FORCES BANDWIDTH USED

3200

54,400

132,000

51,400

542,000

738

250

99

MBPS

Forces

D E S E R T S T O R M

1991 19 9 9

K O S O V O

2002

E N D U R I N G F R E E D O M

2 0 0 3

I R A Q I F R E E D O M

C U R R E N T A S O F A P R I L 2 9 , 2 0 0 3

~ 80 %

S ATCO M

P R O V I D E D V I A

CO M M E R C I A L

S YS T E M S

When is enough, enough?

The United States Army's 

appetite for wideband 

SATCOM has grown 

exponentially. Army 

requirements for SATCOM in 

the early days of Operation 

Iraqi Freedom quadrupled 

in comparison to Operation 

Desert Storm despite a 

significantly lower number of 

deployed command echelons 

and force levels. With 

further emphasis placed on 

Network Centric Operations, 

this requirement seems 

almost certain to maintain a 

consistent growth path. 

FiGUre 1

Increase in 

Bandwidth 

Requirements 

since Operation 

Desert Storm
Army Space Journal 2012 Winter edition 33 

The growing dependency on the commercial sector is complicated by the fact that the Department of 

Defense (DOD) does not procure commercial SATCOM 

in a long-term manner and depends on the commercial spot market to meet unforeseen operational demands. 

Although this approach has worked in the past, longterm market surveys indicate that by 2017 there will be little or no useful available bandwidth available in the spot 

market. Moreover, several regions will see a decrease in overall 

available bandwidth by 2014-15 (Figure 2).6

The Army must work with its DOD partners to develop a strategy that recognizes the value of commercial Spacebased assets and that recommends procurement of contracts 

that offer vital long-term global access. As the Army deliberately brings new commercial capabilities to bear, they must set 

their sights on enduring programs and contract for long-term 

commercial Space access. As part of that effort the Army 

would gain greater capability flexibility by influencing requirements that commit to acquiring customized hosted payloads 

that fill the gaps in critical communications and multi-intelligence services. At the same time, as the Army works with the 

joint community on defining and establishing system requirements, the Army must also overcome current policy hurdles 

relating to security and information assurance so that greater access can be offered to our allies and, as necessary, with 

other non-traditional coalition partners. Furthermore, as the 

Army builds partnership capacity, it must become adept at, 

and more willing to, leveraging coalition partner capabilities, 

going well beyond established data-sharing relationships. As a 

growing number of nations develop Space-based technologies, the Army must consider how to integrate and leverage 

these capabilities so they can be brought into the fight.

Gaining and Maintaining 

Advantages to Tactical Space Access

As discussed earlier, assured access will require more than a different materiel acquisition process for Space systems. Assured 

tactical access to Space will require training in the proper 

employment of these capabilities. As was noted during the 

recent Unified Quest 2010 Campaign of Learning, our forces 

deploying into the Iraqi and Afghan theaters 

are not training with Space capabilities in 

mind nor are they training for the eventuality that Space access will be degraded during 

critical phases of the fight. We have already 

mentioned the growing number of countries 

that are pursuing, if not already possessing, capabilities to counter our advantages 

gained from Space access. Although these 

adversaries may pose the greatest risk, they 

do not represent the most prevalent risk–the threats from our 

own forces. Recent experience in Operation Iraqi Freedom has 

shown that most Space-system degradation is a result of selfinflicted electromagnetic interference, not hostile action. Much 

of the friendly interference can be attributed to a lack of proper 

training and non-existent tactics, techniques, and procedures 

(TTPs) to guide employment of Space, aerial, and terrestrial 

radio frequency receivers and transmitters operating in-theater. 

In a word, inefficient frequency and spectrum management 

makes information access problematic.

Today’s Army strives to train the way it plans to fight; 

the Army of the future must do the same. This means the 

future force needs to train in environments that allow leaders 

and units all levels to build confidence while fighting through 

adversaries’ attempts to degrade Space capabilities. This training must be grounded in validated TTPs that provide guidance 

in the proper employment of Space systems in conjunction 

with other radio frequency emitters on the battlefield but also 

provide a basis for rapid mitigation and restoral actions against 

hostile actions intended to disrupt friendly Space capabilities. 

Based on lessons learned in recent operations we must assure 

these TTPs can be adapted to agile adversaries who have proven themselves readily adjustable to our protection methods 

or countermeasures.

Because we can expect a contested electromagnetic environment during future conflicts, Army forces will require an 

ability to have situational awareness over the entire Spacesupported network architecture. Continuous monitoring of 

communications architectures and an acute awareness of its 

risks and vulnerabilities will become key responsibilities of 

Army Space operations officers and mission partners (signal and intelligence officers, for instance) during combat 

operations. Our Space forces must be able to discern quickly 

hostile action from self-inflicted electromagnetic interference 

so that proper remedial actions can be taken and, if necessary, 

apply countermeasures to isolate and eliminate threats.

Because we will be operating in a more contested and 

congested Space environment, securing tactical access must 

include more than protecting Army systems. The Army’s tactical advantage must also be sustained by achieving sufficient 

Space Situational Awareness (SSA); only by having an adequate level of SSA will the Army be able to deny those Space 

control capabilities–capabilities such as jamming and spoofFiGUre 2 

Commercial 

SATCOM Capacity 

May Not Meet 

Demand in Key 

Regions Because of 

Tightening Spot 

Lease Markets 
34 Army Space Journal 2012 Winter Edition

ing–that future adversaries will likely employ. With ample SSA, 

Army forces of the future will also have the ability to integrate 

capabilities to disrupt future adversaries’ command, control, 

communications, computer, and intelligence capabilities.

Since commercial Space assets and services are becoming so prevalent, it is very likely that future adversaries will 

be operating on the satellites the United States uses or 

they will lease other satellites vital to our own or coalition 

interests. Therefore, the Army must have the capability to 

employ precise measures to deny access to adversary-based 

platforms. As multiple countries pursue Space-based positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) capabilities, Army forces must likewise adopt the means to deny those Space force 

enhancements to our enemies.

Building Versatile and 

Adaptable Army Space Organizations

Assured tactical access to Space will depend in large measure on 

the abilities of trained Army Space operators and units skilled in 

leveraging and integrating Space capabilities in support of the 

tactical fight. Future operations will place great demand on the 

abilities of all Army organizations to accomplish full spectrum 

operations and to adapt to rapid transitions from one operational phase to another. The Army’s Space forces, integral to 

planning and execution of full spectrum operations, must likewise adapt to phased transitions, whether they are organic Space 

personnel or Space teams attached to various Army echelons.

Tactical Space planning must begin early, early enough 

to identify the initial operational requirements and then integrate and synchronize the required capabilities into the fight. 

Because Space capabilities cut across domains and warfighting 

functions, Space officers must be adept at assessing operational architectures for vulnerabilities and identifying approaches 

to mitigate the associated risks. Space officers at the tactical level will be in the vanguard by leading efforts to mitigate the effects of a denied, degraded, and disrupted Space 

operating environment. Space officers must ensure commanders understand the risks to operations when C2, intelligence-gathering, and PNT functions have been degraded 

and assist them in developing training programs and TTPs 

to overcome degraded operations. Since tactical users will 

often first notice the effects of degradation, Space teams must 

be trained and equipped at the tactical level to monitor and 

detect attacks within the spectrum, the networks, and relevant 

Space architectures. Along with monitoring and responding to 

degraded capabilities, Army Space operations officers, furthermore, must also become adept at planning and performing 

missions related to Special Technical Operations, Alternative 

Compensatory Control Measures, and the full complement of 

Space control capabilities afforded to ground Warfighters. In 

so doing, they will gain a fuller understanding of defensive and 

offensive Space operations and will be better able to adapt.

Because Space is an inherently technical domain and a key 

aspect of the information environment, the Army will require 

Space forces that are trained in planning, operating, and 

delivering tactically focused Space support. As we have seen 

demonstrated over the past two decades, the rapid pace of 

technology advancement and fielding presents challenges on 

how to best leverage the latest relevant technologies to ensure 

the Army maintains the tactical advantage. With new capabilities on the horizon such as Operationally Responsive Space 

assets and high altitude platforms, needs will arise to control 

platforms, manage payloads, and perform post-mission analyses. The current structure of the Army’s Space brigade should 

evolve from a “Space-planning augmentation” capability into 

Army Space brigade teams bringing primary capabilities to 

future ORS and high altitude operating concepts and architectures. Furthermore, the Space brigade of the future should 

continue to enhance current SSA planning efforts at Army 

tactical operations centers, especially those activities that help 

integrate Space and cyber operations into headquarters’ firesand-effects cells. To conduct activities such as these, Army 

Space forces will require having a robust operational suite that 

adds ground-based offensive technologies to deny the advantages of Space to adversaries.

The generating force is the foundation of adaptable 

Space forces. The Army must continue to advance its Space 

training, incorporating the latest operational trends and capabilities into its education and training programs. Space training 

must be broadened beyond the current focus on designated 

Space operations officers; it must include other Space professionals and enablers found in the growing civilian Space cadre. 

the Army will require Space forces that 

are trained in planning, operating, and 

delivering tactically focused Space support.
Army Space Journal 2012 Winter Edition 35

These civilian Space professionals must become fully vested 

in the Army profession of arms by adopting a warrior ethos. 

This ethos will not only help ready Army Space forces for 

combat but will complement the uniformed Space force by being 

willing and able to perform any and all Space measures short 

of down-range presence.

Using Space-enabled devices and tools have become 

common tasks. Instructors and trainers must work to integrate 

those common tasks into soldier and leader training venues. 

Theater-tailored training must be developed and integrated 

into pre-deployment programs to support deploying forces.

To leverage fully what Space can offer Army Warfighters, 

the Army’s technical community must take fundamentally different approaches to conducting research and development 

and finding materiel solutions. Primary efforts should no 

longer focus strictly on developing programs of record and 

formulating risk-reduction activities. The Army’s Space materiel developers must shift their attention toward making Space 

capabilities more tactically responsive, focusing on capabilities 

that meet the most urgent mission needs. Instead of pursuing 

the most exquisite capabilities that require lengthy and costly 

development cycles, greater importance should be placed on 

integrating commercial Space capabilities to ensure more rapid 

development of resources to meet the more pressing needs 

of the tactical fight. Finally, the Army must consider alternative acquisition strategies outside of the ponderous Joint 

Capabilities Integration and Development System process for 

Space acquisition; an effort such as the highly successful Army 

Tactical Exploitation of National Capabilities program, for 

instance, could be expanded beyond its current emphasis on 

intelligence services.

Space in Support of 

Army and Joint Operations

As part of a force that includes joint, interagency, and multinational partners, Army forces exercise mission command7

to conduct combined-arms maneuver8 and wide-area security9

to defeat enemies and stabilize environments. Space capabilities support all three battlefield functions–mission command, 

combined-arms maneuver, and wide-area security–and without access to Space, Army forces performing these functions 

would not operate as effectively, efficiently, and safely. Without 

adequate Space PNT support, combined arms maneuver (which 

includes fires) would become slow, cumbersome, unsynchronized, and much less accurate. Without sufficient coverage by 

on-orbit ISR collection assets, wide-area security would become 

less-intelligible guesswork, especially when operating across farreaching areas of responsibility. Without access to SATCOM, 

mission command, the function that provides command and 

control and synchronization of forces, would become tremendously difficult and would bog down Army forces tasked with 

either combined-arms maneuver or wide-area security missions. 

As the Army Operating Concept frequently suggests, then, 

Space-enabled effects are indispensible for supporting joint 

and Army missions.

For Army forces to prevail in a wide range of contingencies–including defeating adaptive enemies in major combat 

operations, responding with civil agencies to attacks or natural disasters, supporting and stabilizing fragile states facing 

internal or external threats, and preventing human suffering–

requires assured tactical access to Space capabilities. Just as 

Army forces must be operationally adaptable and able to rapidly transition from one mission to another, Space forces and 

capabilities must be able to adapt rapidly to a variety of operations including full-spectrum operations, humanitarian relief 

missions, and missions within the homeland. The AOC establishes eight Army operations that must be integrated throughout all of the Army’s mission areas.10 All eight operational areas 

require Space capabilities for effective operations and mission success: Full-Spectrum Operations, Homeland Defense 

and Civil Support, Sustained Engagement, Entry Operations, 

Preventing Proliferation and Countering Weapons of Mass 

Destruction, Cyberspace Operations, Foreign Humanitarian 

Assistance, and Space Operations. A brief discussion of each 

area and its Space requirements follow. The section below 

on Army Space Operations highlights more fully how Army 

Space operations influence the joint fight.

Full-Spectrum Operations

Army forces down to the company level conduct offensive, 

defensive, stability, and civil support operations simultaneously 

to defeat enemies and secure populations. This range of contingencies requires integrated Space capabilities that can rapidly 

transition from one operation to another without the loss of 

access or capability. This requirement for rapid transitions will 

require Space architectures (Space, link, and ground elements) 

responsive to dynamic environments. Each type of operation 

will require access to a full range but different mix of Space 

force enhancement capabilities delivered by a combination 

of systems (a multi-layered approach). Army forces are likely 

to face an adaptable enemy with similar technical capabilities; 

therefore, a full range of Space control capabilities must be 

integrated into land combat operations. A crucial part of that 

To leverage fully what Space can 

offer Army Warfighters, the Army’s 

technical community must take 

fundamentally different approaches to conducting research and 

development ...
36 Army Space Journal 2012 Winter Edition

integration is an understanding that the Army must assure that 

Space control activities–separate and distinct from cyber operations–are synchronized effectively within the cyber/electromagnetic contest. Coordination between Space and cyber operations 

is discussed more fully below.

Homeland Defense and Civil Support

The Army supports the security of the homeland through 

homeland defense and civil support operations. Homeland 

Defense operations, much like full-spectrum operations, require 

ample access to Space force enhancement capabilities. Because 

much of the military Space architecture is dedicated to geographical areas overseas, Army operations in the homeland 

will require greater access to commercial Space capabilities. 

Space capabilities may be employed to support response-andrecovery efforts by leveraging Space sensors for surveillance 

and post-event assessments; Space payloads may also be used 

for communications to restore civil authority and repair critical 

C2 infrastructures. Both operations will require Space forces 

capable of interacting with civil authorities and providing Space 

products that have few security-classification barriers.

Sustained Engagement

The Army conducts engagement activities to increase partner security and capacity. Space operations are conducted to 

support Army forces employed in these operations through a 

tailored mix of Space force enhancements. Space operations 

can also be used in direct support of host-nation partners 

in support of internal security needs and command and

control mechanisms.

Entry Operations

Always operating as part of the joint force, the Army frequently 

conducts opposed or unopposed entry operations to accomplish missions in support of the joint commander’s campaign 

objectives. Prior to beginning entry operations Space capabilities can provide geo-intelligence and electronic intelligence to 

support intelligence preparation of the battlefield activities. 

When entry operations begin, Space-based communications are 

employed to support enroute mission planning and command 

and control networks. In most cases, joint and Army forces’ primary communications backbones will be Space-based until initial lodgment is secured. Overhead Persistent Infrared systems 

will provide timely intelligence, battlefield awareness, and missile 

warning during all phases of entry operations. Once initial entry 

is established, Space capabilities will be reinforced by the rapid 

establishment of a multidomain network to facilitate a timely 

buildup of the Army tactical network. To support forced entry 

operations, Space operations must be considered for interdiction and disruption of adversary C2 systems.

Preventing Proliferation and Countering 

Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

The proliferation of WMD continues to undermine global 

security, further complicating efforts to sustain peace and prevent arms races. Space operations support counter-WMD with 

multi-intelligence activities and by monitoring high-risk areas 

for potential WMD or chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, 

and explosive events. Space capabilities will provide event detection and early warning to counter the employment of WMD 

and, if necessary, help mitigate mass effects.

Cyberspace Operations

Cyberspace operations include computer network operations 

and activities to operate and defend the global information grid. 

Space operations is a key element serving as primary means of 

extending the global information grid to the tactical fight as well 

as providing the precise timing needed to synchronize digital 

networks. Defensive Space Control operations will ensure that 

Army forces prevail in the cyber/electromagnetic contest by 

providing an awareness of critical interdependent Space and 

communication nodes. Offensive Space Control operations 

will also be conducted alongside other cyber/electromagnetic a

ctivities to deny technical advantages to established and 

potential adversaries.

Foreign Humanitarian Assistance

Foreign humanitarian assistance operations assist governments 

and security organizations in easing human suffering caused by 

natural and manmade disasters such as hurricanes, tsunamis, 

earthquakes, mass atrocities, or terrorist attacks. When Army 

forces are called upon to respond to crises outside the U.S. 

homeland, Space capabilities will be employed to respond to 

disaster events as well as providing other Space force enhancements to enable mission command of Army forces deployed 

to support these operations.

Army Space Operations 

in Support of the Joint Fight

Space operations by their nature are joint enterprises. All service components use strategic Space assets to create desired 

tactical advantages, and the Army is no different, providing 

joint theater support in a number of ways. Army Forces support the Joint Force commander by employing Army-unique 

Space-related capabilities to meet his critical information 

requirements. Unquestionably, Army Space uniforms already 

bring land Warfighter expertise to planning, allocation, and 

the employment of joint and national Space capabilities. To 

ensure the land-combat vision contributes to the joint fight, 

the Army assigns Space operations officers to combatant joint 

staffs for key operational planning functions; the Army also 
Army Space Journal 2012 Winter Edition 37

provides Army Space teams to augment 

joint and operational elements during combat operations.

Army forces also execute several Spacesupport activities for the joint Warfighter by 

planning and managing communications satellite payloads for DOD. Army forces likewise conduct a full range of ground-based 

Space superiority activities using both nonkinetic and kinetic means to support U.S. 

Strategic Command and Joint Functional 

Component Command–Space’s critical 

operational demands. Leveraging on-orbit 

strategic assets–Defense Support Program 

and Space-Based Infrared System11 satellites–the Army’s Joint Tactical Ground 

Station system provides continuous ballistic 

missile warning to combatant commanders. 

Finally, the Army’s generating force–through 

means of its technical base–provides rapid 

Space technology solutions to respond 

quickly to theater-specific shortfalls. In the 

future, Army Space teams may actually be 

responsible for payload control on high 

altitude and other aeral platforms to help 

prosecute the joint fight.

Conclusion

Future tactical land Warfighters must have 

assured access to Space. Land Warfighters’ 

dependencies on Space will only increase as 

time goes on and requirements for Space 

access will expand at rates even greater than 

before. As Army leadership begins to recognize the concept of assured tactical access 

to Space, the Army will be compelled to 

take a more engaged approach to ensuring 

Warfighters have the best capabilities delivered at the right place, at the right time.

The Space domain arrays itself across 

all warfighting functions and all phases of 

operations. Operational adaptability requires 

access to Space in all environments and 

access to Space becomes even more critical when operating under austere 

conditions. Diversifying networks 

by employing all domains–terrestrial, aerial, high altitude, and Space–

as a unified architecture makes good 

sense. The Army must also expand 

joint, coalition, and other partnerships to reassure ready access to 

Space-enabled capabilities. By developing versatile, adaptable Space organizations, the Army will remain ready 

to deploy all types of mission sets 

and across all warfighting functions. 

The Army must be prepared to fight 

using Space, but must also be prepared to 

fight under degraded Space conditions. To 

fight on the tactical edge, Army units must 

gain and maintain situational awareness of 

the electromagnetic spectrum, must understand when electromagnetic interference 

comes from friendly or enemy sources, and 

must train to respond and operate under 

both sets of conditions.

The intent of this essay was to outline 

a number of present and future concepts 

based on observations made during recent 

wargame events and to address future Army 

warfighting operations pertinent to Space; 

also proposed is an enabling concept, assured 

tactical access to Space, a concept the Army 

must embrace to ensure mission success 

of future land combat operations. The discussion also highlighted a number of those 

vital connections between Army operations 

and Space that were not treated in the Army 

Capstone Concept and the Army Operating 

Concept. It is the intent that the concepts 

discussed here will be readily accepted by 

key Army stakeholders to assure the success 

of forces operating at all echelons, and especially those ground forces operating on the 

tactical edge.

1 U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, 

Army Operating Concept, TRADOC 

Pamphlet 525-3-1 (Fort Monroe, Va.: 2010), 

para. 3-5d, p. 18. “. . . organizations at the 

lowest tactical level must have required 

enablers to integrate joint capabilities in 

mission planning and execution.”

2 More fully, this essay defines “assured tactical 

access to Space” as guaranteed access to 

Space capabilities that meets land Warfighter 

mission requirements and timelines (during 

all phases of full-spectrum operations).

3 “Preparing to Fight through Degraded Space 

Operations,” memorandum, Commander, U.S. 

Army Training and Doctrine Command to 

Chief of Staff of the Army, 27 July 2010, encl. 6.

4 Space and Missile Defense Battle Lab, 

Frontiers Division, Army Space Power 

2035: A Look Forward (Colorado Springs, 

Colo.: U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense 

Command/Army Forces Strategic Command, 

2007), p. 1. “Space capabilities once thought 

of as strategic in nature will now be applied 

onto the battlefield for tactical effects.”

5 Space and Missile Defense Future Warfare 

Center, 2009 Satellite Architecture 

(Huntsville, Ala.: U.S. Army Space and Missile 

Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic 

Command, 2009).

6 Daniel Gonzales, Isaac R. Porche III, Shara 

Williams, and Bradley Wilson, Managing 

Growing Army Demands for Bandwidth: 

Predicting Growth Trends and Developing 

Solutions for Future Army Forces (Santa 

Monica, Calif.: RAND, March 2009), pp. 59-64.

7 U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, 

para. 3-4 a (1), p. 12. Mission Command 

is defined as “the exercise of authority 

and direction by the commander ... to 

integrate the warfighting functions using 

the operations process and mission orders 

to accomplish successful full-spectrum 

operations.”

8 Ibid., para. 3-4 c (1), p. 13. Combined Arms 

Maneuver is defined as “the application 

of the elements of combat power in a 

complementary and reinforcing manner to 

achieve physical, temporal, or psychological 

advantages over the enemy, preserve 

freedom of action, and exploit success.”

9 Ibid., para. 3-4 d (1), p. 14. Wide-Area Security 

is defined as “the application of the elements 

of combat power in coordination with other 

military and civilian capabilities to deny the 

enemy positions of advantage; protect forces, 

populations, infrastructures, and activities; 

and consolidate tactical and operational gains 

to set conditions for achieving strategic and 

policy goals.”

10 Ibid., secs. 5-1 to 5-9, pp. 26-34.

11 U.S. Air Force, “Defense Support Program 

Satellites,” fact sheet, Sept. 15, 2010, http://

www.af.mil/information/factsheets/factsheet.

asp?id=96, and “Space-Based Infra-Red 

System,” fact sheet, Nov. 15, 2010, http://

www.af.mil/information/factsheets/factsheet.

asp?id=17514

Land Warfighters’ 

dependencies

on Space will only 

increase as time 

goes on ...

Footnotes
38 Army Space Journal 2012 Winter Edition

The U.S. Army, Air Force, and NATO have formally identified coalition Space operations as an area of concern for future multilateral engagements. All three organizations have discussed draft policies, established committees, 

and published reports outlining the way forward for coalition 

Space operations. Given the social, cultural, and religious 

complexity and staggering costs of modern warfare, unilateral 

actions will likely make up the minority of military operations 

the United States conducts in the next few generations. The 

United States continues to field the most powerful military 

in the world and to lead the most powerful and capable coalitions in the history of warfare.

Since Space operations are so tightly integrated into modern warfare and information-driven warfare is vital to achieving 

military objectives, the United States must ensure that information-sharing policies maximize its coalitions’ abilities to employ 

military capabilities. The United States reserves the right to 

protect national intelligence assets through information classification, while coalition partners are sometimes frustrated by 

American unwillingness to share information that could multiply 

their application of force or reduce casualties in their operations.

As the Department of Defense establishes coalition Space 

operations centers with Australia, Canada, and Great Britain, the 

problems with information sharing will become readily apparent 

unless the department establishes information-sharing policies 

at the coalition staff level (C-6/J-6) and incorporate commercial 

off-the-shelf information-sharing technologies into computer 

software programs that provide Space products and services on 

classified and unclassified networks. The goal is to promote flexible, interoperable, and secure information sharing while complying with the existing system of information classification.

Perspectives from Doctrine and Allies

Joint Air Power Competence Center

In 2009 the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s Joint Air 

Power Competence Center published the Space Operations 

Assessment to make recommendations on integrating Space 

into NATO’s military operations, based on the organization’s 

experience in Afghanistan. The Space Operations Assessment 

identifies numerous Space products and services required in 

coalition operations including positioning, navigation, and timing; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; satellite communications; weather; and missile warning.1

 While the United 

States’ Space capabilities far exceed most coalition partners, few 

national security Space products are available at a releasable 

or unclassified level.2 Policies and procedures for sharing U.S. 

Space products and services with Australia, Canada, and Great 

Britain or “Five Eyes” members are fragmented at best, and 

virtually nonexistent at worst in the International Security 

Assistance Force coalition.3 Even worse, top-secret products 

and services from as little as ten years ago are now unclassified 

and commercially available, although at great expense.4

The Space Operations Assessment recommends embedding joint coalition Space Support Teams (SSTs) in J-3 (operations) and J-5 (plans) staffs.5

 Additional coalition SSTs are 

recommended at the combatant command level (or regional level in future operations structured like the International 

Security Assistance Force). The Space Operations Assessment

additionally recommends that the United States provide education and training opportunities for multinational partners, as 

those nations establish and build career fields for Space specialties. The United States has the most senior, combat-experienced 

Space cadre of any nation, so it is America’s responsibility to 

lead the creation of new information-sharing policies to maximize coalition military capabilities.6

 To date, no defense agency 

has published a report comprehensively detailing the problems 

with coalition Space operations, although both the Army and 

Air Force have working groups currently discussing the issue 

with information sharing at the center of these discussions.7

Royal Air Force in Operation Iraqi Freedom

Royal Air Force Squadron Leader Sophy Gardner identifies 

information sharing as one of the most difficult challenges for 

British forces during the opening phases of Operation Iraqi 

Freedom. Information classified as secret releasable had to be 

manually transferred from U.S. SIPRNET systems to British 

By CPT Brad Hamlett

Information Sharing

in Coalition Space Operations
Army Space Journal 2012 Winter Edition 39

computer systems.8 Efficient transfer of the information 

depended on the personalities and good working relationships 

of the people involved, often impacting operations.9

Aside from information classification, system interoperability was another critical factor impacting information sharing 

during coalition operations. British and U.S. computer systems 

were not compatible, and the manually reviewed and transferred 

information had to be reformatted by British personnel in order 

to be usable.10

National Security Space Strategy

On April 9, 2011, the Secretary of Defense ordered the creation 

of policies to promote coalition Space operations based upon 

the new National Security Space Strategy (NSSS). The NSSS, 

jointly written by the Secretary of Defense and the Director of 

National Intelligence, calls for the development of combined 

Space doctrine with international partners.11 The NSSS calls for 

the Department of Defense (DOD) and the intelligence community to work with federal agencies, international partners, and 

commercial firms to share capabilities, data, services, personnel, operations, and technology.12 The purpose of this goal is 

to achieve common objectives, to ensure the United States has 

access to redundant Space capabilities, and to share costs and 

risk.13 The NSSS also calls on the DOD and the Intelligence 

Community to write coalition Space doctrine, develop common computer network standards to promote information sharing and coalition Space operations, and endorse the sharing of 

Space capabilities during conflicts.14

While the NSSS specifies satellite systems, orbital assignments, and the radiofrequency spectrum as areas of interest for 

combined Space doctrine, the DOD Near Term Tasks memorandum targets U.S.-led coalition operations for new policies 

to share Space products and services.15 Most importantly, the 

memo directs U.S. Strategic Command to develop near, mid, 

and far-term plans for a networked coalition Space operations 

center with Australia, Canada, and Great Britain.16 The memo 

also requires that the network be flexible to include additional 

partners and command authorities.17 Although not specified, 

this requirement implies that the computer network should 

be available to combatant commands during coalition military 

operations.

Policy and Technology Solutions

Organizations subordinate to the Office of the Secretary of 

Defense and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence 

are preparing to publish policies for sharing information in 

coalition Space operations, in compliance with the new NSSS 

and the DOD Near Term Tasks memo. These policies will 

cover both the acquisition of new Space systems and capabilities as well as the sharing of Space products and services. Since 

these are pending policies, this article will focus on coalitionlevel policies for use by the C-6/J-6, and propose technological 

solutions to implement the policies. Grandiose solutions, such 

as overthrowing the current system of information classification and replacing it with a new system, are unrealistic, given the 

institutional knowledge and familiarity with the current system 

found throughout the federal government. Instead, technological solutions promote flexible, interoperable, and secure information sharing while complying with the existing system of 

information classification.

The proposed solutions are based on two standard technologies: Extensible Markup Language (XML) and Application 

Programming Interfaces (APIs). XML standards are developed 

and promoted by the World Wide Web Consortium, a nonprofit 

international organization that develops and publishes international protocols and guidelines to ensure the long-term growth 

of the Internet.18 XML is a flexible programming language 

used widely in electronic publishing and data exchange interfaces throughout the Internet. The language is based upon ISO 

8879 standards for markup languages.19 In short, XML is both 

a commercial-off-the-shelf technology and a flexible, widely 

available technology for sharing information across the Internet. 

The DOD already uses XML extensively in many applications 

on both SIPRNET and JWICS networks.

An API is a set of rules within a computer application that 

permits information sharing.20 APIs allow computer applications 

to communicate with each other using a common language.21

The most common API language is XML, although many variants for XML exist.22 APIs can be created for nearly any type of 

computer application, including programs, databases, and operating systems. For the U.S. federal government, the most common and widely used standard is the Government Linked Data 

(GLD) API standard promoted by the GLD Working Group, 

under the World Wide Web Consortium and chaired by George 

Thomas from the Department of Health and Human Services.23

Policy Solutions

Based upon GLD Working Group standards for federal APIs, 

C-6/J-6 staffs can establish policies for flexible, interoperable, 

and secure SIPRNET APIs designed for sharing Space products 

and services with coalition partners, with broader future implications for the development of SIPRNET and JWICS APIs for 

many programs dealing with many levels of classified information. API policies should establish standards for writing APIs, 

and standards for computer systems and programs connecting 

to the APIs.

Coalition partners also should be provided with a policy 

memorandum precisely defining technology and security standards for them to connect to APIs. These policies should define 

the minimum hardware requirements for each computer system 

and the minimum software requirements, including the operating system and installed software necessary to use API data. The 

policy memo also should define security standards, including 

permissions for physical connections to the unclassified Internet 
40 Army Space Journal 2012 Winter edition

and hardware and software firewalls between computer systems. 

The memo also should include specific details including the type 

of cabling allowed for networks such as CAT5 or CAT5e, and 

labeling standards for the cables so technicians and operators 

can clearly identify which cables connect with which networks.

In addition to the policy memo provided to coalition partners, an internal C-6/J-6 memo should be developed defining 

procedures for connecting coalition partners’ networks to the 

U.S. networks. These procedures should define security requirements including software and hardware firewalls between U.S. 

and coalition networks. Additional policies should be developed to define the goals, standards, and architectures for APIs. 

The API policies should be designed to promote flexibility, 

interoperability, and security for U.S. and coalition personnel. 

The overall goal of these policies is to clearly define the standards coalition partners must meet in order to connect to U.S. 

networks. In exchange for meeting these requirements, coalition 

partners can obtain U.S. Space products and services at no cost. 

If coalition partners choose not to meet U.S. standards, there is 

no penalty and coalition partners can obtain unclassified Space 

products and services from commercial providers.

Technology Solutions

Using XML to create APIs for Space products and services 

allows C-6/J-6 staffs and Space professionals to share information in ways that create additional force multipliers from 

existing Space capabilities. The goals for Space APIs should be 

flexibility, interoperability, and security. Flexibility is the ability of the API to generate information that can be read and 

manipulated by receiving programs in ways defined by the user. 

Interoperability is the ability of the API to generate information that can be used and read by as many programs as feasibly 

possible. Feasibility must be defined by the requirements of 

each program in order to write an interoperable API. Security 

is the ability of the API to share information while preventing 

unauthorized use and maintaining information classification 

standards and safeguards.

Designing APIs

Joshua Bloch, a programmer at Google, argues that APIs should 

perform a single function very well. In the case of an imagery API, the goal should be to provide classification level, the 

image, and meta data. From these requirements, the designer 

should establish a single function that is easy to explain to users 

in a few words.24 Functionality can always be added to an API, 

but it can never be removed.25 Coalition users will write their 

own software to receive data from U.S. APIs, so removing a 

function will cause coalition users’ software to malfunction. 

Therefore, any API for Space information should be simply 

written to perform a single function.

The Google Earth API is used extensively to share information and create new capabilities for Warfighters. High-quality 

imagery and map overlays can be manipulated in a variety of 

ways to make the presentation more relevant to Warfighters 

with data points and mission parameters embedded in the map. 

Classified capabilities present information in even more relevant 

ways. The Google Earth API is flexible, so many users and 

programs can access its information and manipulate it. Users 

can import data files that Google Earth displays on the map. 

Google Earth also can export data files that users can import 

into other programs and manipulate as needed. The public version of Google Earth even allows companies to update their 

location, contact, and business information in real time through 

the business’s Google Places account. The type of programming in the Google Earth API represents a new way of thinking about programming. Fundamentally, programmers need to 

think in terms of APIs to improve code quality for programs 

that handle Space products and services to meet the goals of 

flexibility, interoperability, and security.

Imagery API Discussion

An imagery API is a good illustration of designing for flexibility and interoperability. XML can be used to define classification, the type of object, and any metadata for the object. 

Figure 2 illustrates how XML (in Microsoft C# format in this 

example) can be used to provide Space imagery through an 

Figure 1. Simple illustration 

of network connections 

to an imagery Application 

Programming Interface.
Army Space Journal 2012 Winter edition 41 

API. The XML code defines the type of image 

as a JPEG file, the location of the image on 

the server, the classification of the image as 

secret, and additional meta data including the 

originator, keywords, and notes. This simple 

illustration meets the criteria of flexibility, 

interoperability, and security. A coalition partner with any C# based XML parser (such as 

Microsoft SharePoint) can read and import 

the image. Furthermore, including classification information in the XML string allows the 

United States to control access to information 

based upon the clearance level of the recipient. 

The classification element in figure 2 can be 

changed to any level using software on the U.S. 

side of the network. Classification is written 

into the language, so the API only allows users 

to access information that meets their security 

clearance level.

Security Concerns

Cryptographic protocols can be built into 

Space APIs on C-6/J-6 networks. The protocols include mechanisms for key agreement 

and user authentication, symmetric encryption during data transport, and non-repudiation methods.26 Key agreements are common 

security methods that allow only computers 

with installed keys to exchange information, 

prohibiting any unkeyed system from accessing the information.27 The C-6 can generate 

keys to provide U.S. and coalition networks 

as a security method to authenticate users 

and prevent data leakage. Additionally, the 

C-6 can require 256- or 512-bit data encryption to transmit information between APIs on 

U.S. and coalition networks. SSL 256 is a common standard used in financial transactions. 

Requiring a secure data transport mechanism 

and secured software for both the sender and 

receiver are policies that the C-6 can propagate 

to coalition partners. A non-repudiation method is used to ensure the integrity and origin of 

the data, ensuring that the data has not been 

intercepted and changed in transport.28 Digital 

certificates already are used by the DOD as a 

non-repudiation method, and they can be used 

on coalition networks for Space APIs.

Conclusion

The National Space Security Strategy and 

Office of the Secretary of Defense directives 

require the creation of policies, facilities, and 

mechanisms for coalition Space operations. 

The U.S., NATO, and Australia, Canada, and 

Great Britain have identified information sharing as one of the biggest challenges in this 

process. The Army Space community needs 

to work within the existing information classification system to create software that allows 

data from Space products and services to be 

flexible, interoperable, and secure.

Designing Space software with XMLbased APIs integrated into the software is a 

solution that uses existing commercial-offthe-shelf technology to meet the goals of 

flexibility, interoperability, and security. XMLbased APIs do not require any new inventions, 

major investments in new computer systems, 

or any major Doctrine, Operations, Training, 

Materiel, Leadership and Education, Personnel, 

and Facilities changes. APIs can be written for 

existing applications, and new applications can 

be designed with integrated APIs. Positioning, 

navigation, and timing; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; satellite communications; weather; missile warning; and additional 

Space products and services can take advantage 

of APIs to securely share information in coalition Space operations while maintaining flexibility, interoperability, and security.

Footnotes

1 Thomas G. Single, “New Horizons: Coalition 

Space Operations,” Air and Space Power 

Journal, 24 (Summer 2010), pp. 72-84.

2-7 Ibid.

8 Sophy Gardner, “Operation Iraqi Freedom: 

Coalition Operations,” Air and Space Power 

Journal, 18 (Winter 2004), pp. 87-99.

9-10 Ibid.

11 James R. Clapper and Robert M. Gates, 

National Security Space Strategy 

(Washington: Department of Defense 

and Offi ce of the Director of National 

Intelligence, January 2011), http://www.

defense.gov/home/features/2011/0111_nsss/

docsNationalSecuritySpaceStrategyUnclassifi ed

SummaryJan2011.pdf.

12-14 Ibid.

15 Robert M. Gates, “National Security Space 

Strategy (NSSS) DOD Near Term Tasks,” 

OSD 75840-11.

16-17 Ibid.

18 World Wide Web Consortium, “W3C 

Mission,” http://www.w3.org/Consortium/

mission.html.

19 World Wide Web Consortium, Ubiquitous 

Web Domain, “Extensible Markup Language 

(XML),” http://www.w3.org/XML/.

20 Martin Fowler, Domain-Specifi c Languages 

(Boston: Pearson Education, 2010).

21-22 Ibid.

23 World Wide Web Consortium, Technology 

and Society Domain, “Government Linked 

Data Working Group Charter,” http://www.

w3.org/2011/gld/charter.

24 Joshua Bloch, “How to Design a Good API 

and Why It Matters,” http://lcsd05.cs.tamu.

edu/slides/keynote.pdf.

25 Ibid.

26 Federation for Identity and CrossCredentialing Systems, Guideline Version 

3.0 (Fairfax, Va.: Sept. 1, 2010), http://fi xs.

publishpath.com/Websites/fi xs/Images/

FiXs%20Security%20Guidelines%20v3.0%20

(Sept.%201,%202010).pdf.

27-28 Ibid.

CPt BrAD HAMLett 

is an Army Reserve officer 

serving as Deputy Team 

Leader for Army Space 

Support Team 12, 3rd 

Space Company, 1st Space 

Brigade. He is the principal 

of Political Jobs LLC, a Web 

development company for 

political employment.

Figure 2. Example of 

an XML code sample 

defining classification 

and additional attributes 

for Space imagery.
42 Army Space Journal 2012 Winter Edition

Satellite Bandwidth

Capacity

By LTC Victoria Miralda

during non-crisis periods constrain commercial 

industry’s ability to meet DOD satellite bandwidth 

capacity requirements on short notice.

Given the realities of this new global environment, there are three areas where the U.S. government (USG) and DOD can evolve to mitigate risk 

and enhance the potential for future availability and 

affordability of satellite bandwidth, both commercial and military.

Revoke current restrictions on exporting commonly available commercial communications satellite technology by replacing outdated U.S. law that 

impedes global competitiveness with responsive 

legislation to protect critical technologies while permitting U.S. competitiveness in global markets.

Evolve and enforce processes for procuring 

and managing satellite bandwidth capacity through 

an empowered USG focal point for commercial satellite communications (COMSATCOM) in 

accordance with national priorities.

Establish a national Space executive authority 

empowered to responsively drive essential future 

military satellite communications (MILSATCOM) 

capability requirements for the United States, to 

include the intelligence community and other USG 

agencies and departments.

The Army Space community, comprised 

of Civilians and Soldiers from every branch of 

the Army, impacts the Department of Defense’s 

interaction with the U.S. Space industry by identifying priority Space requirements, developing 

Space-enabled capabilities, and influencing DOD 

policy and strategy. It serves national and DOD 

Challenges to Ensuring 

Future Availability 

The National Space Policy identifies the importance of the U.S. Space industry to 

American national security:

“A robust and competitive Space sector is 

vital to continued progress in Space. The 

United States is committed to encouraging and facilitating the growth of a U.S. 

commercial Space sector that supports 

U.S. needs, is globally competitive, and 

advances U.S. leadership in the generation of new markets and innovation-driven 

entrepreneurship.” 1

Despite this national security imperative, considering 

the cost and the likely surge in bandwidth requirements for U.S. government and military purposes 

during national crises, the health of America’s commercial Space industry is at risk. While the National 

Space Policy accurately portrays the significant role 

a healthy Space sector provides to national security, there are indicators U.S. policy and activities are 

not resulting in assured access to and availability of 

future Space capabilities, specifically bandwidth.

Recent contingency operations demonstrate 

an exponentially increasing global demand for satellite bandwidth during times of operational surge. 

Unpredictable bandwidth demand strains capacity limits within the commercial satellite industry. 

The risk escalates when juxtaposed with the last 

ten years’ unprecedented Department of Defense 

(DOD) reliance upon commercial satellite capabilities to support operations. Market dynamics such 

as long lead times and high commercial demand 
Army Space Journal 2012 Winter Edition 43

interests to both ensure the availability of future military satellite capacity and to enforce optimized procurement of commercial bandwidth capacity.

This article is the first of two addressing challenges 

in ensuring available and affordable satellite communication (SATCOM) bandwidth in support of DOD operational requirements. The first segment specifically explores those 

SATCOM challenges the Army Space community can help the 

nation address. It explores obstacles and opportunities to the 

satellite market segment the DOD should remain cognizant 

of to help shape future availability of all satellite communications capacity by U.S. companies.

While the purpose of this article is not to evaluate the merits and costs of COMSATCOM compared to 

MILSATCOM, that topic is a natural residual question and 

is worthy of a separate analysis. Considering the trends of 

DOD operations in the past decade, it is safe to assume both 

sources of bandwidth will continue to be required given the 

degree of overall USG reliance. The decision factors for the 

right mix of military and commercial satellite communications 

capacity are many and vary with budget, global operational 

environment, and security demands. However, ensuring the 

availability of both categories is a measurement of U.S. satellite industry health. Understanding the nature of the two categories and their costs, program risks, operational resiliency, 

and developmental timelines is essential to making informed 

decisions. The percentage of bandwidth capacity from each 

source the USG pursues, whether leasing from industry providers or owning through a Program of Record (POR) acquisition effort, must be weighed against projected whole of 

nation requests and national strategic priorities.

U.S. Space Industry-Satellite Segment

The Space industry broadly encompasses nongovernment, forprofit Space companies. Within the Space industry there are 

multiple market segments, one of which is the satellite industry segment. The satellite segment is comprised of four components: satellite manufacturing, satellite services, launch, and 

ground equipment. All four segments are essential to support 

USG and DOD operations, but it is the satellite manufacturing 

component that provides the spacecraft for bandwidth capacity 

to the DOD. This component produces both COMSATCOM 

and MILSATCOM spacecraft the Department of Defense 

relies upon.

Spacecraft transponder services, whether American, foreign, or consortium are in turn provided and sold by commercial providers such as SES World Skies, INMARSAT, and 

INTELSAT. Services may range from bandwidth capacity 

access to full-scale end-to-end network services. The satellite 

transponder bandwidth portion is the primary focus for availability concerns and is addressed in this article. However, DOD 

is reliant upon all four segments for advanced access to and use 

of satellite carriers. It is in this aspect that the health of the U.S. 

satellite industry is a vital DOD and national security interest.

Separately but related, the U.S. satellite industry also 

builds MILSATCOM capabilities such as the Wideband 

Global Satellite System, Defense Satellite Communications 

System, and Mobile User Objective System. The three U.S. satellite manufacturing companies are Boeing, Lockheed Martin, 

and Space Systems Loral. The DOD or USG then manages, 

operates, and maintains these military-owned spacecraft as a 

POR throughout the system’s lifecycle.

The Impact of ITAR

A leading issue impacting the U.S. satellite industry remains 

export restrictions imposed since 1999. There is widespread 

consensus these restrictions have marginalized American 

technology leadership in a globally competitive environment. 

Despite enduring U.S. Space policy advocating this competition, 

the U.S. Space industry is constrained by export trade regulations having negative effects on competitiveness. The satellite 

manufacturing industry is the only American commercial sector 

mandated by law to have all goods managed as munitions. The 

effect has been markedly negative.2 In the view of many analysts, export restrictions have hampered America’s commercial 

Space technology vitality, leadership, and workforce.

In a global environment, this self-imposed trade barrier 

is the natural result of U.S. export regulations implemented 

through the State Department’s International Traffic in Arms 

Regulations (ITAR). Each U.S satellite built incurs approximately $1 million in additional costs due to ITAR compliance 

requirements. Loss of market competitiveness is compounded by the decrease of scientists and engineers in the U.S. 

Space industry workforce, again attributed at least in part to 

the impact of costly U.S. trade restrictions. 3 Considering the 

overall Space industry revenue growth of 11 percent in 2009, 

a sustainment or growth in employment would be expected. 

Instead, in 2009 there was a 5.5 percent decline in the Space 

industry workforce, keeping with the general trend since 

2002.4 In 2010 employment declined even more steeply.

In 2010 proposed U.S. legislation, House Resolution 

(H.R.) 2410, the “Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal 

Years 2010 and 2011,” addressed the need to reform satellite 

industry export controls. This legislation was proposed to alleviate some of the more damaging process and blanket categorization restrictions automatically applied to all Space and 

satellite components on the U.S. Munitions List. The proposed 

legislation would have restored the President’s authority to 

decide when this restriction was or was not appropriate based 

upon current availability of technologies worldwide. The 

Satellite Industry Association president, in a letter to the chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign 

Affairs, stated H.R. 2410 will “help put U.S. manufacturers 

of satellites and related components on more competitive 

footing in the $144 billion global satellite market, reinforcing 

America’s global technological leadership, while safeguarding 

jobs and critical Space technology for the nation.” 5

H.R. 2410 did not pass in 2010. It was re-introduced 

in 2011 as H.R. 3288, the “Safeguarding United States 

Satellite Leadership and Security Act of 2011,” to reform the 
44 Army Space Journal 2012 Winter Edition

framework for satellite export controls. The bill would 

authorize the President to remove satellites and related components from the U.S. Munitions List, subject 

to certain restrictions and congressional oversight. The 

bill’s last action was referral to the House Committee on 

Foreign Affairs on Nov. 11, 2011.

The Health of the Space Industry

The 2008 Center for Strategic and International Studies 

report titled “Health of the U.S. Space Industrial Base and 

the Impact of Export Controls” concluded that American 

preeminence in Space is challenged in many areas. 

“Satellites and their components were placed on the U.S. 

Munitions List due to congressional action with the intent 

of limiting the spread of Space technology. However, this 

has had the unintended consequence of encouraging the 

proliferation of Space capabilities, [and] has not prevented the rise of other Space powers but has impacted U.S. 

competitiveness.” 6 When satellites were placed under the 

ITAR in 1999, the U.S. Space industry held more than 

60 percent of the global manufacturing market. For the 

year ending 2010, U.S. market share was below 57 percent, 

and for 2011, 52 percent. In 2011 satellite manufacturing 

revenue globally declined 20 percent, and the U.S portion 

declined at a sharper rate of 27 percent.7

While some of that decline may be a natural result 

of globalization, the lost potential may never be known 

in terms of sales, competitiveness, and human capital in 

the U.S. satellite industry. In 2010 global satellite industry employment fell 2.9 percent from 2009, including the 

loss of 7,302 American high-tech jobs.8 The health of 

the satellite industry directly impacts the ability of the 

United States to inspire future expertise in the science, 

technology, engineering, and math fields critical to the 

recovery of the U.S. economy and its ability to support a 

healthy gross domestic product and ultimately America’s 

national security.

“The U.S. government is the single largest customer 

of the commercial satellite industry today,” said Robert 

T. “Tip” Osterthaler, president and chief executive officer of SES Government Solutions, a SATCOM service 

provider. “Satellites are expensive but an absolute necessity in meeting the demands of the U.S. government. 

In this tough budget environment, the country cannot 

afford business as usual and what we’ve experienced with 

the traditional ways of purchasing satellite communications capabilities. By fostering competition and increasing opportunities for the government to work directly 

with satellite operators, we can ensure that American taxpayers get their money’s worth and that our service men 

and women in harm’s way have the satellite communications they need to perform their missions.” 9

The U.S. satellite industry is losing share and confidence among international markets. Placing all satellite 

components under the U.S. Munitions List continues to 

constrict U.S. international engagement, economic partnerships, and coalition interoperability with the global 

Space community. This circumstance feeds a growing 

separation between the U.S. commercial Space industry, 

DOD, and emerging international Space powers.

Operational Reliance

In the majority of contingency operations, force projection operations, and disaster relief support operations 

conducted by the U.S. military, satellite communication capabilities are the strategic umbilical cord linking 

USG, private contractor, agency, and military teams. 

Contingency operations are inherently reliant upon nonline-of-site communication capabilities due to either a 

contested security environment or the need for rapid U.S. 

assistance where a crisis is evolving. Such operations are 

typically conducted with minimal notice in distant and austere locations where terrain or infrastructure realities limit 

access to terrestrial-based communications and autonomy in operations often is a required condition for success. COMSATCOM is a critical component of assured 

force projection and the USG’s ability to globally conduct 

operations. Recent examples include USG disaster relief 

support to Japan and operations in Libya that highlight 

the need for swift initial and often continued reliance on 

COMSATCOM assets.

Augmenting and enhancing MILSATCOM capabilities, COMSATCOM is a co-partner in providing 

America’s industrial base strength as a vital component 

of national security. It enables U.S. diplomatic, information, military, and economic elements of power. In 

addition, national Space capability and capacity are natural deterrents to threats. However, assessing the satellite 

industry’s ability to support DOD operations and strategic USG objectives presumes adequate access to assured 

communications capabilities. This is an increasingly risky 

assumption as evidenced by the decline in U.S. leadership 

in the Space industry and satellite segment.

In interviews with private-sector companies supporting USG service contracts, each indicated their support 

operations rely almost exclusively on COMSATCOM. 

This connectivity provides them access to U.S.-

based logistics and supports contract personnel with

52%

57%

60%

1999 2010 2011

U.S. Share of Global 

Satellite Market
Army Space Journal 2012 Winter Edition 45

Footnotes

1 National Space Policy of the United 

States of America (Washington: The White 

House, June 28, 2010), pg. 3.

2 Patricia Cooper, Satellite Industry 

Association, “SIA Letter to Congressman 

Berman in Support of Section 826 of H.R. 

Bill 2410: Foreign Relations Authorization 

Act for FY2010 and FY2011,” June 8, 

2009, http://www.sia.org/news_events/

Letters/SIA_HR_2410.pdf; Patricia Cooper, 

Satellite Industry Association, “Comments 

of the Satellite Industry Association to the 

Directorate of Defense Trade Controls 

Regarding Revisions to the United States 

Munitions List,” Feb. 8, 2011, http://www.

sia.org/PDF/SIA_Comments_to_DDTC_

on_its_ANPRM-USML_FINAL2011.

pdf; Patricia Cooper, Satellite Industry 

Association, “Comments of the Satellite 

Industry Association to the Bureau 

of Industry and Security Regarding 

Revisions to the Commerce Control 

List,” Feb. 7, 2011, http://www.sia.org/

PDF/SIA_Comments_to_BIS_on_its_

Notice_of_Inquiry-CCL_FINAL2011.pdf; 

Thomas Young, Bill Ballhaus, and Pierre 

Chao, “Briefing of the Working Group on 

the Health of the U.S. Space Industrial 

Base and the Impact of Export Controls” 

(Washington: Center for Strategic and 

International Studies, February 2008); 

and James Armor, “Space as a Contested 

Domain” (lecture, Industrial College of 

the Armed Forces, Dec. 1, 2010).

3 Cooper, “SIA Letter to Congressman 

Berman in Support of Section 826 of H.R. 

Bill 2410: Foreign Relations Authorization 

Act for FY2010 and FY2011.”

4 A. Thomas Young, Edward Anderson, 

Lyle Bien, Ronald Fogleman, Keith Hall, 

Lester Lyles, and Hans Mark, Leadership, 

Management, and Organization for 

National Security Space (Alexandria, Va.: 

Institute for Defense Analyses, 2008).

5 Young, Ballhaus, and Chao; Satellite 

Industry Association, news release, “2010 

State of the Satellite Industry Report 

Shows Continued Growth in 2009,” 

June 8, 2010, http://www.sia.org/news_

events/pressreleases/Press_Release_

StateotheSatelliteReport2010FINAL.pdf.

6 Young, Ballhaus, and Chao, pg. 28.

7 Satellite Industry Association, “2010 State 

of the Satellite Industry Report Shows 

Continued Growth in 2009.”

8 Ibid.

9 E-mail to author from Nicole C. Robinson, 

SES Government Solutions, Dec. 22, 2011.

10 Interview with author, Patrick Rayermann, 

Chief of Staff, Department of Defense 

Executive Agent for Space Staff, March 

2011.

11 Interview with author, Michelle Nassar, 

Chief, COMSATCOM Center, Network 

Services, Defense Information Systems 

Agency, March 18, 2011.

resources for contingency operations. In addition to increased DOD reliance on private-sector services, and their compounding demand 

for COMSATCOM capacity, military use of this 

bandwidth has exceeded the capacity provided 

by MILSATCOM since 1993, shifting reliance 

to the private-sector market.10 The combined 

demand military and contractor support operations place on COMSATCOM capacity creates 

competition for access and drives higher pricing. 

Yet, current DOD reliance on COMSATCOM 

remains extensive. Considering the laws of supply and demand, increased contractor demand on 

COMSATCOM capacity creates a supply dynamic 

that has further driven up market prices.

Constraints

A driving business case constraint is that USG 

commercial bandwidth providers, no matter how patriotic, require a high percentage of 

investment capital up front in order to build and 

launch a satellite. It is becoming more infrequent 

that such investment security comes from the 

USG. Thus, satellites built with venture capital and private funding typically have a small 

percentage of remaining, uncommitted capacity available for DOD use. Therefore, when 

unplanned requirements arise in frequency bands 

or geographical locations that MILSATCOM 

cannot accommodate, options are becoming 

more and more limited.

One COMSATCOM company explained 

that due to the risk in short-term DOD bandwidth leases and Defense budgets, it must 

sell available capacity to commercial buyers 

even at a lower price when the buyer agrees 

to the stability of a long-term contract. The 

resulting capacity limitation influences both 

COMSATCOM cost and access for the USG 

and DOD. This is seen first in the price of 

contractor support, including the contractors’ expenses for COMSATCOM capacity, 

and second in an overall higher cost due to the 

increased commercial demand.

In 2009 the U.S. military spent approximately $500 million on leased COMSATCOM 

capacity.11 Recent Wideband Global Satellite 

System costs show a well-run MILSATCOM 

POR can produce a satellite for approximately $300 million. In light of the fact that most 

satellites have a life expectancy of seven to 12 

years, this indicates an efficient POR can be 

cheaper than leasing ($2.1 billion versus $3.5 

billion), assuming seven years’ use and not taking into account payload monitoring and health 

expenses. Often, satellites far exceed their life 

expectancy, providing even greater return on 

USG investment and making the case for a 

strong fleet of MILSATCOM despite the 

upfront POR “sticker-shock.”

Conclusion

While the U.S. government and Department of 

Defense rely upon commercial satellite communications and expect it to be available, they 

must collectively do more to improve and assure 

future satellite communication bandwidth access 

and availability. The USG and DOD must leverage whole of nation purchasing power to obtain 

supportable rates while supporting the Space 

industry’s health by improved forecasting and 

planning and by pursuing reliable and effective 

Programs of Record for Space capabilities. The 

national security risk is avoidable if the USG and 

DOD can support a healthier Space and satellite industrial base during non-crisis periods. This 

step requires removal of International Traffic in 

Arms Regulations restrictions and improving 

MILSATCOM processes to provide a balanced 

mix of both commercial- and military-provided 

bandwidth options. Satellite bandwidth will be 

available at affordable rates in the future only 

if the United States takes these active steps and 

reforms to permit true national prioritization of 

capabilities. These actions will not only stimulate healthy competition but also fuel workforce 

innovation and strengthen the Space industrial 

base domestically and internationally, thus providing increased American national security.

The next article on SATCOM challenges will address the establishment of a national executive authority empowered to drive 

Program of Record capability requirements for 

whole of government military satellite communications and the need for an empowered U.S. 

government focal point for procurement of 

commercial satellite communications in accordance with national priorities.

Amount U.S. military spent $500 Million on COMSATCOM 2009
46 Army Space Journal 2012 Winter Edition

Best 

Missile 

Warning

Crew

Osan 

Soldiers Named as

Story by Rachel L. Griffith, 

USASMDC/ARSTRAT Public Affairs

Crew Chief Sgt Jeffery Blake Powell works with his crew at Alpha 

Detachment in Stuttgart Germany. Powell’s crew won site Best Crew 

for JTAGS Europe. Photo by Rachel L. Griffith
Army Space Journal 2012 Winter Edition 47

SPC Jonas Knehans and SPC Trenton Huntsinger, both of Delta Crew, 

Charlie Detachment, work together to perform routine maintenance on 

one of Charlie Detachment’s satellite dishes at Osan Air Base. Photo 

by Rachel L. Griffith. CPL Daniel Romero, Delta crew chief, adjusts a 

satellite dish on Osan Air Base. Romero and his team were named the 

Army’s Best Missile Warning Crew for 2011. Photo by Rachel L. Griffith.

The Army’s Best Missile Warning Crew for 2011 poses with detachment 

and brigade leadership left to right: CPT Corey H. Ruckdeschel, 

commander, Charlie Detachment, 1st Space Company; SPC Trenton 

Huntsinger, SPC Jonas Knehans, CPL Daniel Romero, and COL Eric 

P. Henderson, commander, 1st Space Brigade. Photo by Dottie White

A team of Soldiers stationed at Osan Air Base, South Korea, won the title of the Army’s Best Missile Warning 

Crew for 2011.

Delta Crew from Charlie Detachment, 1st Space Battalion, 

1st Space Brigade received the honor after competing against 

15 other similar-sized teams from theater early missile warning 

detachments. The 1st Space Company has four detachments located around the world known as Joint Tactical Ground Stations 

(JTAGS). In the late fall, the Soldiers at these sites, located in 

Germany, Qatar, South Korea, and Japan, competed for the title.

Led by crew chief CPL Daniel Romero, Delta Crew members 

showed excellence in all aspects of their job as JTAGS operators. 

They are Romero, primary operator; SPC Jonas Knehans; and 

SPC Trenton Huntsinger, secondary operator.

“The competition has been a tradition for 

quite a while in JTAGS,” said SFC Andrew B. 

Brown, the JTAGS training and evaluations 

noncommissioned officer in charge at U.S. 

Army Space and Missile Defense Command/

Army Forces Strategic Command. “It’s 

important to the crews because it gives them 

a chance to showcase their knowledge and 

expertise that they are using on a daily basis. 

We have four detachments within JTAGS, 

and it’s a friendly competition, but each site 

is always trying to outdo each other.”

The JTAGS mission is one that never 

rests, with crews on watch 24 hours a day, 

seven days a week. The crews work long 

hours on a daily basis to accomplish their 

mission, providing early missile warning.

“They were tested on a variety of skills, 

from physical fitness aspects, to simulated 

real-world operations designed to test their 

decision making ability and the crew chief ’s 

ability to lead,” said Brown.

Brown was part of a three-person evaluation team from Colorado Springs that 

traveled to all four detachments to oversee 

the competition. The competition was also 

overseen by the 1st Space Company’s commander, MAJ Christopher Turner, and first 

sergeant, SFC Joseph Collins.

“I think it’s a great honor to recognize excellence, which is 

what the best crew does,” said COL Eric P. Henderson, 1st Space 

Brigade commander. “It’s important to point out that our adversaries do not take into account ‘who’ is on watch as it relates to 

missile warning. My thought is that every crew needs to be ‘best 

crew’ when the lives of our countrymen and our allies and national 

interests are at stake.”

Delta Crew is unique, as its crew leader is a corporal, the 

lowest of the noncommissioned officer ranks. Most crew chiefs 

within JTAGS detachments are staff sergeants.

Romero didn’t get to be the crew chief he is on his own. The 

detachment leadership is in place to help mentor and guide the 

young Soldiers who are assigned to JTAGS. Charlie Detachment 

is no exception. Commanded by CPT Corey H. Ruckdeschel and 

expertly led and run by noncommissioned officer in charge SFC 

Christopher L. Barber, the dedication of the leadership in Korea 

has not gone unnoticed by senior leaders within the command.

“It’s awesome that a crew from JTAGS Korea can represent 

not only the 1st Space Company, but the Army,” Ruckdeschel said. 

“Korea is a site that rarely has longevity, and to have a crew from 

our location that has only been together for four months prove 

that dedication and know-how can outweigh longevity and experience is excellent. Their win in this competition was about heart, 

dedication, and willingness to learn.”

The senior enlisted leader on site appreciates the efforts of 

these Soldiers.

“This crew took a great interest in the competition,” said 

Barber. “They dedicated many hours of their off time to not only 

prepare for the Best Crew Competition, but to make themselves 

better JTAGS operators overall. To have them win the title of the 

Army’s Best Missile Warning Crew is a reflection of the effort the 

Soldiers put into preparing for their mission.”

“Korea is a site that rarely has longevity. 

To have a crew from here that has only 

been together for four months prove that 

dedication and know-how can outweigh 

longevity and experience is excellent.”

— CPT Corey H. Ruckdeschel
48 Army Space Journal 2012 Winter edition

pHIlosopHY

 BY lTC J. DaVE PriCE

strAteG

This article was written to encourage new ideas 

and infuse our organizations with innovative 

thought and strategic thinking. As a company 

commander, I was motivated and excited to lay 

out a philosophy and plan. In most instances, my 

thoughts focused on physical fitness, morality, 

discipline, maintenance, safety, quality of life, 

and awards. I provided a philosophy for company teams but probably not very well, in hindsight. 

In battalion command, I did not provide a philosophy or a vision. My belief was that brigade 

commanders had a philosophy, and general 

officers had visions. I had a mission, purpose, 

and key tasks, and I was in direct support of the 

higher headquarters. In lieu of a philosophy, I 

gave “day one” command guidance that provided purpose and intent and laid out the principles 

of the organization. Instead of presenting “new” 

command principles, I emphasized those offered 

by Colin Powell–for example, “not to defend your 

base but to let change lead growth.”

Having commanded four times, twice in 

Space units, gives the perspective to understand 

that the Army’s only Space brigade requires an 

unusual framework and strategy. The brigade 

concepts presented are a framework that can, 

and should, apply up and down the organization. This article should in no way be construed 

to undermine the hard work and initiatives put 

forward by previous or current brigade leaders.

Author’s note

LtC J. DAVe PriCe

is a student at the U.S. Army War 

College in Carlisle, Pa., and former 

commander of the 1st Space Battalion, 

1st Space Brigade, U.S. Army Space 

and Missile Defense Command/

Army Forces Strategic Command at 

Peterson Air Force Base, Colo.
Army Space Journal 2012 Winter Edition 49

y, and the Space Brigade

One of the greatest problems of our time is fostering a leadership climate that in turn creates a learning 

organization. “It is just not possible any longer to figure it 

all out from the top, and have everyone else following the 

orders of the grand strategist. The organizations that will 

truly excel in the future will be the organizations that discover 

how to tap people’s commitment and capacity to learn at all 

levels of the organization [and to pass it on].”1 This article is 

not designed to show you “how” to create a learning organization but how leadership and philosophy will help you 

set the conditions and shape the outcome and end-state for 

organizational learning to occur.

Command philosophy is a state of mind and must be 

translated into working concepts.The key to success is to be 

yourself, and the most important document in your command is your philosophy. COL John G. Meyer, Jr., also stated 

many of the company essentials in a command philosophy 

in his book Company Command.2 These philosophies are by 

necessity focused on the tactical aspects of command.

Understanding the proposed and possible missions of 

the organization is the first step in developing a strategy and 

philosophy. Tactically speaking, “colonels and lieutenant colonels–the leaders of battalions, squadrons, regiments, and 

brigades–are responsible for directing and controlling the 

battle.”3 Those words were written 30 years ago, and they 

remain viable today. However, brigade commanders require a 

broader approach in their strategy and philosophy for developing a vision and a team, specifically in a Space brigade. The 

current mission of the 1st Space Brigade is close to this: conduct continuous global Space force enhancement operations, 

Space support, and Space control operations in support of 

U.S. Strategic Command and supported combatant commanders, enabling shaping and decisive operations.4

Strategic leadership, in error, implies a command philosophy should lay out leadership priorities in your command. 

To avoid confusion let’s define these terms better. Command 

is the authority given in accordance with the United States 

Code and Army regulation with taking over a military organization whereby the commander is invested with official responsibility for team and mission. Leadership is the 

method by which a commander chooses to guide his or her 

organization and complete the mission; there are many leadership styles. A command philosophy is used to identify factors which are important to the leader and should be closely 

observed. Command priorities are tasks or lines of operations identified as essential for the success of the mission 

or unit. A vision is the end-state that the commander wants 

to achieve. Finally, the command strategy is tasks (ways) and 

resources (means) tied directly to the philosophy (concept of 

the operation) and vision (ends or commander’s intent).

Space is no longer unordinary to the Warfighter. The 

Space brigade is responsible for providing world-class Space 

force enhancement, satellite control, Space control, and 

Space special technical capabilities to the Warfighter. The 

brigade will meet the growing demands that the Space field 

requires, and it must remain flexible to respond to emerging 

missions. It must be predictive in shaping and understanding 

the needs of theater commanders. The brigade must remain 

agile in building and providing detachment-level teams when 

and where needed.

The Space brigade must take deliberate steps to meet 

these requirements with high-demand, low-density assets and 

must review the capability to grow within resources as needed. It must reduce overhead and “fat” in the organization and 

streamline staffs, efforts, and resources where feasible.

The brigade can and should task organize to provide 

combat-ready Space forces and capability, leveled on operational requirements, and become a learning and strategically oriented organization. Space Soldiers cannot fail to meet 

missions and must assume reasonable risk when necessary 

to keep the organization on task and simultaneously tackle 

these challenges.

ic Leadership, 
50 Army Space Journal 2012 Winter Edition

The 1st Space Brigade is a multi-component unit with 

diverse Space missions and capability. The brigade’s three 

battalions are made up of and resourced from both active, 

Army Reserve, and Army National Guard higher headquarters. However, it will be important to consolidate staff, 

resources, and requirements where U.S. law and Army regulations permit in all three components. The brigade forces are 

focused on all pillars of Space capability minus Space force 

application which is provided by the 100th Missile Defense 

Brigade. However, the 1st Space Battalion is tasked to 

train and organize Army support teams, conduct global 

missile warning, and conduct Space control and special 

missions simultaneously.

The command could task organize into a 2nd Space 

Battalion in order to focus operational capability on special 

and Space control missions, both of which are critical assets 

for combatant commanders. A task force needs to be created to provide options in grouping battalion and brigade staffs 

and efforts together. Also, a task force could be created that 

will devise options in reducing legacy missions and options to 

synchronize and create efficiencies within Space support, satellite control, and reserve component missions.

The brigade will have to continue to provide highly 

trained and ready Space forces and capability while becoming 

more predictive of the future and scanning the environment. 

The unit must be able to re-organize into flexible detachmentlevel teams and provide agile Space capabilities. This brigade 

command must become more adaptive and efficient in using 

resources and providing Space capabilities, while postured to 

learn and operate effectively in support of combatant commanders now and with a focus through ten years out.

There are important factors in leading a strategic organization, developing strategic leaders and thinkers on your 

team, and developing a strategic philosophy. Some key elements in strategy development are environmental scanning, 

futuring, organizational culture and leadership, and leading change. In order to develop a strategically oriented organization, strategic leaders must at a minimum look at those 

four influencers.

Environmental scanning is detecting the external environmental demands on an organization. The organization 

should scan to detect trends, define threats, promote a future 

orientation, and alert staff and commanders of near- and farterm factors and influences.6

 In the 1st Space Brigade, there 

are many outside influences and stakeholders that impact 

it, including the higher headquarters (U.S. Space and Missile 

Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command) and 

its multiple divisions; many Space and defense contractors 

that support operations and logistics contracts; U.S. Strategic 

Command and its Joint Functional Component Command 

for Space (JFCC-Space); Air Force Space Command; the U.S. 

Air Force as Executive Agent for the Department of Defense 

Space; the Colorado Army National Guard component; the 

U.S. Army Reserve component; and many others.

All stakeholders manipulate the shaping, direction, and 

velocity of the brigade organization and impacts in the maturation of the unit. Scanning is necessary to keep external organizations in its field of view continually and determining those 

impacts on the brigade and its mission. For our purpose here, 

there is not enough time to identify all of the influences by 

each organization or be predictive of their impacts. However, 

in one example of scanning, in hindsight, the higher headquarters (for global Space operations) changed multiple times 

in the course of a decade.

U.S. Space Command in Colorado Springs merged with 

U.S. Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., in 

2002.7

 It was later split into subordinate functional commands, 

and the Space brigade assets were assigned to JFCC-Space and 

JFCC-Global Strike. Later responsibility for Space was given 

to the commander of the 14th Air Force as the Commander, 

Joint Space Operations, before later being re-designated as 

JFCC-Space with the majority of Space command and control 

assets. While all of these changes could not all be observed 

through continuous scanning, some issues may have been recognized and adjustments made in response.

Futuring is predicting outcomes of decision-making 

inside an organization. Predictions are conducted to identify worst case, most probable, or alternative courses of 

actions in the environment with likely inputs by stakeholders. 

Understanding these potential outcomes may arm an organization on how it may conform, act, or mature to be ready for 

the future. This is done by “detecting scientific, technical, economic, social, and political-military trends and events important to the institution (brigade), and defining the potential 

threats, opportunities, or changes for the institution implied 

by those trends and events.”8

 Futuring will identify reasonable 

gaps in planning operations and Space. These gaps may be 

closed using quantitative and qualitative analyses.

For example, if the brigade predicted a future where 

additional Space control and special mission capabilities will 

be requested by combatant commanders, then it would posture for that outcome. Leadership would make the decision 
Army Space Journal 2012 Winter edition 51 

required to take on those responsibilities and 

introduce an additional force (Space battalion) 

designed for these requirements. Why would it 

predict this? If scanning and stakeholder show 

trends in Space control and special mission capability are not yielding or shrinking, then the organization will prepare to command and control a 

growing capability. If, in another example, global 

missile warning capability was predicted to no longer be a core Army mission or requirement, the 

brigade would conduct analysis and take measures 

to manage resources inside the organization to 

accept these changes.

Predictions might be wide of the mark, but 

it is more damaging to fail to acknowledge the 

environment and its impacts on a strategic organization. Proper environmental scanning and 

futuring are necessary to remain proactive and 

strategically capable, competent, and organizationally sound. Of course, there are other stakeholders with the responsibility for developing 

requirements and conducting combat and force 

development. The intent is not to compete with 

these stakeholders but to be responsible and act 

independently at first, and later compare notes to 

reach viable consensus for the growth and best 

interest of the overall team. But to become a strategic organization, you must first act like one. 

Organizations require the right command climate 

to allow cross talk and analysis along varying lines 

of effort.

The organizational culture and leadership is 

again unique in Space. There are two brigade headquarters under USASMDC/ARSTRAT; one is a 

reserve component and the other is a multi-component headquarters. USASMDC/ARSTRAT has 

diverse active, research, and development missions. 

There are four cultural misalignments: power distance, in-group collectivism, institutional collectivism, and assertiveness.9

 One example of this 

is the power distance between Huntsville, Ala., 

where the major command headquarters is and 

Colorado, where the two brigade headquarters 

and the deputy commanding general for operations reside. This circumstance has to do with the 

legitimate pull between essential centralized control and necessary decentralized innovation.10 This 

originality can be stifled, imagined, or real when 

this power distance exists, even if this is more a 

factor of distance than power.

In leading change, senior leaders need to 

flatten the internal environment in order to 

reduce the power distance. The goals and objectives can be stated in tactical and strategic terms 

and correlated so all members are empowered to 

act on them. Army Space commands are few in 

number with limited resources and assets, and it 

is absolutely necessary to link their strategy from 

the top down.

In summary, these responsibilities lie within the brigade as well as cooperatively within the 

other elements of the higher headquarters. The 

brigade and higher headquarters must create efficiencies in order to survive and remain effective 

to meet the needs of the Joint and Army communities, but more importantly to meet the needs 

of the American people. It all begins with a strategy through a sound vision and philosophy with 

an acceptable end-state. This organization must 

be pro-active and become a learning organization 

willing to listen to its junior and senior members 

alike and ensure institutional knowledge is captured and does not “PCS.”

Leadership must be courageous in making decisions and predicting outcomes; it must 

hold up moral and ethical values, all while being 

a good steward of resources within the broader 

Department of Defense and the Space community. It must be imaginative, predictive, lasting, and 

foster a learning environment and culture. The 

brigade must actively shape its environment with 

inventive people all while maintaining its sharp 

technical and tactical edge.

The “ideas presented [in this article] are for 

destroying the illusion that the world is created of 

separated, unrelated forces. When we give up this 

illusion–we can then build ‘learning organizations’ 

where people continually expand their capacity to 

create results they truly desire.” 11

1 Peter M. Senge, The 

Fifth Discipline: The 

Art and Practice of the 

Learning Organization 

(New York: Doubleday/

Currency, 2006), pg. 4.

2 John G. Meyer, Jr., 

Company Command: The 

Bottom Line (Alexandria, 

Va.: Byrrd Enterprises, 

1991): pg. 20.

3 Dandridge M. Malone, 

Small Unit Leadership: A 

Commonsense Approach 

(Novato, Calif.: Presidio 

Press, 1983): 26.

4 1st Space Brigade Basic 

Standards Pamphlet No 

001-1 (Peterson Air 

Force Base, Colo.: 2010), 

in author’s possession.

5 James L. Morrison, 

“Environmental 

Scanning,” http://horizon.

unc.edu/courses/papers/

enviroscan/.

6 U.S. Strategic Command, 

“History,” http://www.

stratcom.mil/history/.

7 Morrison.

8 Stephen J. Gerras, 

Leonard Wong, 

and Charles Allen, 

“Organizational Culture: 

Applying a Hybrid 

Model to the U.S. Army” 

(Carlisle, Pa.: U.S. Army 

War College, 2008), 

pg. 21.

9 Ibid, pg. 97.

10 Senge, pg. 3.

proper environmental scanning and futuring are necessary 

to remain proactive and strategically capable, competent, 

and organizationally sound.

Footnotes
52 Army Space Journal 2012 Winter edition

 BY COL TIMOTHY R. COFFIN 

& MAJ KEN RICH

although Space operations had yet 

to be envisioned at the time he lived, 

the timeless theories on war put forth 

by Sun Tzu almost 2,600 years ago 

remain relevant to military planners, 

especially in the context of the unconventional warfare our nation continues 

to wage against those who aim to harm 

our way of life. The continued conflict 

the United States faces requires the 

development of new and innovative 

strategies that surpass conventional 

thought to achieve victory against a 

non-traditional enemy who is elusive, 

ideologically driven, and hides from direct confrontation on the battlefield.

This article is the first in a series 

where we will explore the question of 

what if Space and Missile Defense operations existed at the time many of 

the world’s classical military theorists 

wrote their seminal works. What would 

they have said about these domains 

that are relevant to us today as we continue to develop, shape, and deliver the 

capabilities for today, tomorrow, and 

the day after tomorrow?

suN tZu

SPaCE WarriOr

Chinese Author Travels through 

Time, Updates His “Art of War”
Army Space Journal 2012 Winter edition 53 

The first and arguably one of the oldest theorists, Sun Tzu, has chosen the interview style to open our conversation on the applicability of classical military theory to 

the congested, contested, and competitive domain of Space. 

A profound aspect of Sun Tzu’s 13 principles in “The Art of 

War” is that they can be applied to almost any problem. He 

demonstrated an extensive understanding of all aspects of warfare, providing us with a comprehensive and coherent guide 

to the way war should be conducted.

We transported Sun Tzu from 500 B.C. to the present day, 

made him the honorary Deputy Commanding General for 

Operations for a day at U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense 

Command/Army Forces Strategic Command, and asked for his 

guidance.

ASJ BG Sun Tzu, your 13 principles are certainly worthwhile; they allowed you to successfully lead your army to victory 

thousands of years ago. How can we as military Space professionals understand and apply your principles? We thought we 

would turn your principles into cool bumper stickers, then we 

could just grab one of your quotes and apply it to the situation 

we find ourselves in.

BG SUN TZU Let’s get one thing straight right from 

the start. I do not organize my thoughts into systematic procedures that you can just pick up and follow. I am not giving 

you a concrete plan of action, but a series of recommendations 

that can be adapted to your circumstances. Let me give you 

an example that will help you understand where I am coming 

from. When you read a book, I am sure that you find it helpful 

to skim through the entire text to seek out the essential principles, extracting each one and generalizing, and then applying 

them to new situations. This can be an extremely powerful and 

efficient way to acquire and structure new knowledge. My philosophies are a loosely linked set of observations, not logical 

demonstrations. I teach by analogy and metaphor. You cannot 

simply pluck out my insights and drop them into your existing 

framework. You must develop new ways to use your mind.1

ASJ There are a dozen translations of your work, with 

many different interpretations and descriptions of your chapters. The main connection in the literature among scholars who 

have attempted to review your work is that your 13 principles 

are powerful tools that can be applied to almost any situation, 

from the smallest engagement to the largest campaign. Would 

you briefly go through each one and highlight the significance 

of each?

BG SUN TZU Yes, I certainly have created a firestorm 

of reviewers who all have a different take on my work. Briefly, 

there are 13 chapters and each is dedicated to a particular facet 

of warfare. Let us take a minute so I can review each one.

1. LAYING PLANS

There are five fundamental factors and seven elements that 

determine the outcomes of military engagements.

2. WAGING WAR

The cost of warfare and how to win decisively.

3. ATTACK BY STRATAGEM

The idea that the source of an army’s strength is not in its 

size, but in its unity, as well as critical factors in achieving success in any conflict. Something you may want 

to pay special attention to today given the strategic and 

fiscal environment.

4. TACTICAL DISPOSITIONS

The defense of your tactical position and the importance of 

strategic opportunities.

5. ENERGY

The creativity and timing required to build momentum.

6. WEAK POINTS & STRONG

Opportunities caused by the weaknesses of your enemy.

7. MANEUVERING

The danger of direct conflict and how a commander can 

achieve victory through maneuver.

8. VARIATION IN TACTICS

The importance of flexibility and how to respond to changing circumstances.

9. THE ARMY ON THE MARCH

How to respond to tactical situations as you move through 

unfamiliar enemy territory.

10. TERRAIN

Advantages and disadvantages.

11. THE NINE SITUATIONS

The nine situations that you will face in a campaign and 

how a commander should approach them.

12. THE ATTACK BY FIRE

The use of weapons, targets of attack, and the responses to 

those attacks.

13. THE USE OF SPIES: 

Information gathering and the five sources of intelligence.
54 Army Space Journal 2012 Winter edition

ASJ Sir, now that you have succinctly summarized your 

principles, I believe I have a much better understanding of this 

masterwork on the conduct of war. If you had to pick one central theme, what would it be?

BG SUN TZU You are always looking for the simple 

answer. There is no sound bite that leads to a winner. Victory 

is not served in a McMinute in the comfort of your vehicle. Years and decades of proper planning, preparation, and 

patience will bear its fruit in season. I will tell you my central 

theme. The opening verse of my book is the basic cue to my 

philosophy. War is a grave concern of the state that must be 

thoroughly studied. Armed conflict is not a passing anomaly, but a continuing act worthy of detailed study. It therefore 

deserves thorough analysis on your part. Your moral strength 

and intellectual capability are decisive factors in war. If you 

apply them properly, you will be victorious. Professionals in 

the business of protecting the United States must take their 

obligation seriously and learn the craft of warfare. It is a matter of life or death, a road either to safety or to ruin. It is up to 

you which destination you will arrive at.2

Within this framework, my number-one theme is that you 

can avoid fighting when you plan the right strategy before the 

battle. War is to be preceded by measures designed to make it 

easy to win.3 If you have any doubts about this, my principles 

have been the foundation of Eastern strategy for thousands 

of years leading to many successful victories.

ASJ With all due respect, most Western strategists regard 

“On War” by Carl von Clausewitz as the best way to defeat 

our enemies. His theory concentrates on the big battle as the 

way to win. What do you have to say about this?

BG SUN TZU Look, Carl is a great strategist, but “On 

War” does not hold a candle to “The Art of War.” I wrote 13 

chapters for the King of Wu, who was not easily impressed to 

say the least. He made me thoroughly test my ideas and afterwards made me a general. I subsequently led my army westward, crushed the Ch’u state, and entered Ying, the capital. 

And in the north I kept the Ch’I and Chin in awe. Moreover, 

Western commanders who happened to unwittingly use my 

principles in important campaigns over the past two centuries 

were successful, while commanders who did not apply them 

suffered defeat–sometime disastrous, war-losing calamities.

Carl’s main mantra is that war is merely a continuation 

of national policy, not an end in itself. The mistake he makes, 

however, is that his emphasis on total war and bloodshed 

undermines this theory. If war is indeed a continuation of 

policy, then the goal is the primary purpose. In emphasizing 

total victory, Clausewitz looked only at the end of the war, 

not the subsequent peace.4

 In comparison, my principles are 

a masterpiece of simplicity. The well-known British strategist 

B.H. Liddel Hart, whose own philosophy affirms my emphasis 

on doing the unexpected and adopting the indirect approach 

in strategy,5 described me as “the most concentrated essence 

of wisdom on the conduct of war.”6 More to the point, he 

stated that the clarity of my thought “could have corrected the 

obscurity of Clausewitz.”7 At the expense of sounding trite, I 

could have not said it any better.

ASJ Sir, that is quite enlightening. What you are saying 

is that Clausewitz was a believer in a direct approach, meaning 

that combat was everything in his mind. In contrast, it appears 

that you favor deception and an indirect approach. Would you 

elaborate and compare these principles to what we do in the 

Space business?

BG SUN TZU Look, if you believe that the United 

States will not encounter a peer force-on-force in the near 

future and that we will continue to face the asymmetrical 

threat we have been dealing with over the last decade, then 

yes, you will need to look beyond what Carl has to offer for 

relevant information. As I stated in the Art of War, the object 

of military action is not the complete destruction of your enemy’s army, their cities, or the depletion of their countryside, 

its victory. Plainly stated, I want to defeat my enemy without 

fighting so that we may live in peace. If this is not possible, I 

want to use deception and indirect means to bring about swift 

victory with the least amount of damage.8

Let me highlight a couple of my main elements from the 

Art of War that relate to deception and the indirect approach 

and place them in the context of Space operations. This answer 

will be the longest of all your questions.

In war, do not launch an ascending 

attack head-on against an enemy who 

holds the high ground. Do not engage 

him when he makes a descending 

attack from high ground. Lure him to 

level ground to do battle.9

First of all, Space power is a key ingredient for achieving operational environment superiority. Space is considered the ultimate high ground, and control of Space is critical to ensure 

availability of the capabilities it provides. For centuries commanders have fully understood the significance of the “high 

ground” in combat operations. A higher vantage point certainly 

offers both defensive and observational benefit to the forces 

who occupy it over their enemy.10 Moreover, Space capabilities 

provide many of the products and services Warfighters depend 

on. For example, satellite communications provide intratheater 

beyond line-of-sight and intertheater worldwide communications. Additionally, GPS provides position-location information and critical timing signals that support friendly situational 

awareness, precision fires, and unified action maneuver and collaboration. Moreover, a variety of satellite sensors (surveillance 

and reconnaissance and missile warning) provide the Army with 

critical surveillance information to answer commanders’ priority 

intelligence information requirements, provide indication and 

warning, and support strategic to tactical decision making. As 

I have said,
Army Space Journal 2012 Winter edition 55 

Know your enemy and know 

yourself; in a hundred battles 

you will never be in peril.

I cannot overemphasize the importance of knowing your enemy and gaining as much information 

as possible. This means learning your adversary’s 

capabilities, potential, and intentions–digging 

down to the smallest detail. My last chapter was 

devoted to this very topic–the use of spies. In my 

time, we were limited to collecting information by 

direct human observation of the enemy and collecting information through the use of five types 

of agents: agents from the enemy’s own country, enemy officials, enemy spies, my own spies 

who are sacrificed with false information, and 

spies who have returned with accurate information. The message to commanders was that, of 

all those who are close to you whom you rely 

on, the most valuable person in your command 

is the secret agent.11 The knowledge you garner 

prior to any engagement is the key to defeating 

the enemy. You must fully understand the enemy; 

not from hearsay, analogy, or deliberations, but 

directly from those who know the enemy situation 

in every detail. In the 21st century, Space capabilities give us the ability to transfer, collect, and 

defend information as well as the ability to provide information on terrain, location, or activities 

of interest. Space capabilities also deny or degrade 

your enemy’s ability to gain or acquire that information from Space.

All warfare is based 

on deception.

“If you are able, appear unable, if active, 

appear not active, if near, appear far, if far, 

appear near. If they have advantage, entice 

them; if they are confused, take them; if they 

are substantial, prepare for them; if they are 

strong, avoid them; if they are angry, disturb 

them; if they are humble, make them haughty; if they are relaxed, toil them; if they are 

united, separate them. Finally, attack where 

they are not prepared and go out to where 

they do not expect. This specialized warfare 

leads to victory, and may not be transmitted 

beforehand.”

Warfare is the art of deceit. Deception, in 

my opinion, is the most critical piece toward 

achieving victory over your enemy. I want to 

make the point of deception perfectly clear; all 

warfare is based on deception. A skilled leader 

must master the disparate elements I stated a 

minute ago in order to confuse and delude the 

enemy while simultaneously concealing your true 

circumstances and ultimate intent.12 My point is 

that you can achieve a competitive advantage by 

deceiving the enemy into believing that you are 

weaker or stronger than you actually are.13

Clearly deception has a role to play in the 

Space and, I might add, the Missile Defense 

arena. Your adversaries will use decoys to lead 

you astray, cause you to waste your assets, and 

lead you down paths toward destruction. Your 

own effective use of deception could mislead 

your enemy into believing incorrect information about the systems you have in Space or 

could put into Space. Even knowing that you 

have deployed decoys, the enemy could withhold 

action for fear that it is engaging a decoy.

Another deception tactic is the dispersal 

of your Space systems. Scattering satellites into 

various orbital altitudes and positions, as well as 

building “micro-sats” to collectively perform the 

functions of what larger and more vulnerable 

satellites perform, allows for added protection 

and increased survivability. Another example 

would be flooding satellite receivers with false 

communication links, making it extremely difficult for the enemy to separate critical communications from false traffic. There are many 

matters you could discuss here given the appropriate venue and a few creative minds.

ASJ Thank you, BG Sun Tzu, for taking the 

time to discuss the Art of War. I know we have 

only touched the surface of what your work has 

to offer us. Even though you wrote the Art of 

War thousands of years ago, it is fully apparent 

that your principles are as relevant today as they 

were in your time. Perhaps you would consider 

writing a 2012 edition to cover your thoughts 

more completely. As Space professionals, and 

more importantly as Soldiers, we must take our 

obligations seriously and study your masterwork 

of strategy in order to adequately plan for the 

future. Now please go back to your time; COL 

Coffin wants his office back.

Footnotes

1 Sunzi, The Art of War: 

Translation, Essays, and 

Commentary by the Denma 

Translation Group (Boston: 

Shambhala Publications, 2009).

2 Lawrence P. Phelps, “East 

Meets West: A Combined 

Approach to Studying Wars 

and Strategy in the 21st 

Century,” strategy research 

project, U.S. Army War 

College, 2006.

3 Ibid.

4 Bevin Alexander, Sun Tzu at 

Gettysburg: Ancient Military 

Wisdom in the Modern World 

(New York: W. W. Norton, 

2011), pp. 1-4.

5 Gregory L Wilcoxon, “Sun 

Tzu: Theorist for the 21st 

Century,” strategy research 

project, U.S. Army War 

College, 2010.

6 Li-Sheng Arthur Kuo, “Sun 

Tzu’s War Theory in the 

Twenty First Century,” 

strategy research project, U.S. 

Army War College, 2007, pg. 4.

7 Ibid.

8 Wilcoxon.

9 Sun Tzu, The Art of War, 

Samuel B. Griffi th, trans. (New 

York: Oxford Univ. Press, 

1971) is the source of all 

quotations cited from The 

Art of War.

10 J. H. Huang, Sun Tzu: The New 

Translation (New York: Quill, 

1993), pp. 74-79.

11 Wilcoxon.

12 Griffi th.

13 Charles A. Rarick, “The 

‘Other’ Art of War: Strategic 

Implications of Sun Pin’s 

Bing Fa,” SAM Advanced 

Management Journal, vol. 72, 

issue 4 (Autumn 2007), pg. 4.

RECOMMENDED READING

The Art of War by Sunzi (Lionel Giles, translator), http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/132

“Learning from Sun Tzu,” Douglas McCready, Military Review, May - June 2003

Understanding Sun Tzu on the Art of War, Robert L. Cantrell (Arlington, Va.: Center 

for Advantage, 2003)
56 Army Space Journal 2012 Winter edition

 BY lTC M. TrOY BENTlEY

ABOVe A Minotaur-IV+ launch 

vehicle displaying a specially designed 

decal in honor of U.S. special 

operations personnel killed in action 

takes flight from the Kodiak Launch 

Complex in Alaska.

Photo by Offi ce of Naval Research

LeFt A Minotaur-1 launch vehicle 

displaying a decal in honor of recent 

Medal of Honor recipients stands 

ready at the Mid-Atlantic Regional 

Spaceport on Wallops Island, Va.

Photo courtesy of Operationally 

Responsive Space Offi ce 

This decal honoring 

special operations 

personnel killed 

in an Afghanistan 

helicopter crash 

was displayed on a 

Minotaur-IV+ launch 

vehicle carrying the 

TacSat-4 spacecraft.

Satellite Launches Carry 

Names of Fallen Heroes

our HIGHest 
Army Space Journal 2012 Winter edition 57 

In the hush of morning twilight, a brilliant light and deafening roar shattered the tranquility of the Alaskan wilderness launch complex 

at Kodiak, Alaska. This was the scene of the 

Naval Research Laboratory’s TacSat-4 launch on 

Sept. 27, 2011, and the second event dedicated 

to fallen American heroes by the Operationally 

Responsive Space (ORS) Office.

The Minotaur-IV+ launch vehicle displayed 

a specially designed decal in honor of U.S. special 

operations personnel killed in action. An earlier 

launch lauded recipients of the Medal of Honor. 

On Aug. 6, Americans were shocked to hear 

of the single deadliest loss of U.S. forces in the 

decade-long war in Afghanistan. Thirty brave 

Americans, eight Afghans, and a military working dog perished in the crash of a CH-47 Chinook 

helicopter in Wardak province, Afghanistan. The 

tragedy was compounded by the fact that 22 of 

the dead were Naval Special Warfare Command 

Sailors (SEALs), including 15 SEALs who participated in the operation that killed Osama Bin 

Laden three months earlier. Other U.S. casualties were five Soldiers of the 135th and 158th 

Aviation regiments and three Airmen from Air 

Force Special Operations Command.

The TacSat-4 dedication also included having SEAL team members present for the launch. 

The launch vehicle decal listed the names of every 

American killed in the crash and even Bart the 

military working dog. To signify their bravery, silver wings are the most prominent part of the 

design. A purple heart enfolds the U.S. Special 

Operations Command spear tip, SEAL trident 

badge, Air Force Special Operations Command 

symbol, and 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation 

Regiment insignia.

ORS-1 Dedication

On June 29, the ORS office dedicated the launch 

of the ORS-1 satellite to honor the extraordinary courage and selflessness of Soldiers, Sailors, 

and Marines who received the Medal of Honor, 

the nation’s highest award for valor, in Somalia, 

Iraq, and Afghanistan. The ORS-1 satellite blasted off atop a Minotaur 1 rocket from NASA’s 

Wallops Flight Facility and Mid-Atlantic Regional 

Spaceport on Wallops Island, Va. ORS-1 is an 

electro-optical/infrared satellite employing a U-2 

reconnaissance aircraft sensor package covering 

seven different wavelength bands. It is the first 

operational satellite launched by the ORS office.

About TacSat-4

The TacSat-4 mission will provide enhanced 

Space-based communication to U.S. forces in 

Afghanistan. The satellite’s highly elliptical orbit 

brings it close enough for a service member using 

a handheld radio or pack radio to communicate 

effectively in the deep valleys of Afghanistan. 

It will also provide ten additional Ultra High 

Frequency channels and allow forces using 

existing radios to communicate on-the-move. 

Moreover, TacSat-4 provides flexible up and 

down channel assignments, which increase the 

ability to operate in busy radio-frequency environments and will cover the high latitudes and 

mountainous areas where users currently cannot 

easily access UHF satellite communications.

TacSat-4 will maintain a highly elliptical orbit 

of 435 miles by 7,470 miles at a 63.4-degree inclination. This unique flight path, three times closer 

to the Earth than most communications spacecraft, will enable TacSat-4 to provide four-hour 

coverage in the northern hemisphere during each 

of its six daily treks around the globe.

LtC M. trOY BentLeY

is an aviation officer 

who became a Space 

Operations Officer in 

December 2010. He 

currently serves as the 

Tier-2 division chief in the 

Operationally Responsive 

Space Office. He has 

served as a National 

Police Transition Brigade 

team chief in Iraq and as 

a senior military adviser 

in Saudi Arabia, and 

worked for NASA at the 

Kennedy Space Center as 

an operations engineer, 

payload test director, and 

in program management.

t dedICAtIoN
58 2012 Winter edition Army Space Journal

2.0

Army Space Cadre News

Continuing to Mature

Focused on the Futur

To begin with, the ASPDO reorganized to more efficiently serve the Army’s Space community while preparing for 

the potential of doing more with less. The single military billet within the office was realigned from the Space Operations 

Professional Development Office to the Functional Area 40 

(FA40) assignments manager at U.S. Army Human Resources 

Command. This move accomplished two specific objectives: It 

provided a valid/required billet for the assignments manager 

who had been carried as excess on manning documents, and 

it ensured a closer working relationship between the ASPDO 

and Human Resources Command. Additionally, the roles and 

functions of the Army Space Cadre Office (ASCO) were 

incorporated into the ASPDO. The mission of the ASCO 

TO SUBMIT AN ITEM FOR THIS SECTION:

 Mike Connolly /// Section Coordinator

michael.connolly@smdc-cs.army.mil

719 - 554 - 0452

Mike Connolly is Director of 

the Army Space Personnel 

Development Office. He 

was an Army aviator and 

Space operations officer, with 

assignments to the Cheyenne 

Mountain Operations Center, 

U.S. Strategic Command, 

and U.S. Space Command.

Reflecting on the year “that was” is something that 

many organizations and individuals realize this time 

of year. It gives us pause to acknowledge what was 

accomplished as well as consider goals and aspirations that were not fully accomplished. The Army 

Space Personnel Development Office (ASPDO) had 

many “can you believe this” moments in 2011.
Army Space Journal 2012 Winter edition 59

• Complete a 

Department of the 

Army-directed Space 

Cadre assessment

• Write the Army’s 

portion of the biannual 

report to Congress 

on Department of 

Defense Space cadres

• Enhance the 

capabilities of ASKMS

• Plan and execute the 

annual Army Space 

Cadre Symposium

• Provide talent management for FA40s

• Develop additional opportunities for 

FA40s across the 

force structure

• Process Space Badge 

and 3Y requests

• Effectively utilize 

the Army’s allocation of Space 200 

and Space 300 slots

• Represent the Army 

Space community at appropriate 

meetings, conferences, and forums

e; 

re

remains, however, this reorganization allows 

us to better handle routine actions along with 

a surge capability to pursue new initiatives. In 

addition to the changes to the ASPDO organizational structure, individual roles, responsibilities, functions, and job titles were appropriately 

adjusted. Finally, the ASPDO moved from its 

off-post office into Building 3 on Peterson Air 

Force Base.

On a larger scale, the ASPDO, specifically force manager Al Hughes, supported the 

Army’s Officer Grade Plate (OGP) Roll Back, 

fighting hard to retain the existing FA40 billets throughout the force structure. Although 

a few organizations proposed the elimination 

or reduction in rank of their FA40s, the impact 

to the community is considered minimal. An 

interesting and ongoing dichotomy to the OGP 

is the number of Army and joint organizations 

that have asked for new or additional FA40s. 

This year FA40-coded billets were either established or formalized at the Navy Postgraduate 

School, Program Executive Office Space 

Systems (Mobile User Objective System), and 

the Executive Agent for Space. Additionally, a 

Training with Industry position was created at 

Analytical Graphics Inc.

The growth of officers designated as 

FA40 this past year has been as exciting as it 

has been challenging. Currently, there are more 

than 300 FA40s in the career field to fill some 

210 coded-billets. Fully understanding that 

officers made conscious decisions to become 

Space operations officers, we have an obligation to provide them opportunities to develop 

the skills and attributes they require to succeed. The ASPDO found new and innovative 

ways to get this growing population, especially 

young captains, into rewarding positions where 

they can begin gaining valuable Space experience. The Joint Space Operations Center, Joint 

Functional Component Command for Space, 

Joint Navigation Warfare Center, and Defense 

Information Systems Agency all have agreed 

to accept additional FA40s. As we continue to 

grow, we are coordinating with additional organizations to establish positions where FA40s 

can serve.

Closely related to the development of 

operational positions for the community to 

serve, is professional development through 

education and training. LTC Pat Marshall 

became the first FA40 to complete a PhD program and will not be the last. The six Advanced 

Civilian Schooling slots that are allocated to the 

functional area on an annual basis are becoming more and more competitive. Currently 14 

officers are pursuing their advanced, Spacerelated degrees with six of those in accredited 

PhD programs.

The ASPDO also assumed responsibility 

for scheduling personnel for the Army Space 

Cadre Basic Course, aligning this course in the 

same manner that Space 200 and Space 300 

are managed. Jim Schlichting manages the registration for the basic course and oversees the 

Order of Merit List for both Space 200 and 

Space 300 for all Soldiers and Department of 

the Army Civilians who want to attend. In 2011 

95 Soldiers and Civilians completed the Space 

Fundamentals Course, 127 completed the 

Space Cadre basic course, 112 graduated from 

Space 200, and 40 from Space 300.

In addition to classroom education, more 

than 200 individuals representing all uniformed components of the Army, Air Force, 

Civilians, and Department of Defense contractors attended the annual Army Space Cadre 

Symposium. This year’s event was highlighted by the attendance of Richard McKinney, 

Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force for 

Space, and LTG Richard P. Formica, commander of U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense 

Command/Army Forces Strategic Command. 

Discussions and break-out sessions focused 

the attendees on the Army’s 2011 theme, The 

Profession of Arms.

Adding to the growth and expansion of 

the Army’s Space community, Bob Kyniston 

led the ASPDO effort to have the Air Force 

Space Badge recognized as a unique Army 

badge. This successful undertaking, approved 

by the Army Chief of Staff, provides the 

authorities for determining eligibility, criteria, 

and award to the commander, USASMDC/

ARSTRAT. Additionally, the Army now grants 

ten promotion points to Soldiers who earn the 

Basic Space Badge. To date, more than 1,000 

Soldiers have received some level of the Space 

Badge, including 300 processed in 201l by Kyle 

OBJeCtiVeS

2012
60 2012 Winter edition Army Space Journal

Ramsey. A related acknowledgement of 

a Soldier’s Space experience is the awarding of the Additional Skill Identifier/Skill 

Identifier (ASI/SI) 3Y, Space Enabler. This 

past year 297 Soldiers, of all ranks and 

branches, were awarded the ASI/SI.

Ensuring that lines of communication remain open and available to all, 

the ASPDO is utilizing the Army Space 

Knowledge Management Site (ASKMS). 

Dave Hagedorn has worked extensively 

with internal and external organizations to 

develop a site that is user friendly and practicable. ASKMS provides worldwide, singlesign on capability to the entire Army Space 

Cadre on both the classified and unclassified 

sides of the network. Individual and organizational pages, Chatter, Announcements, 

Who Is Online, Space Links, Surveys, 

Feedback and Issues, Lessons Learned, 

Frequently Asked Questions, and Request 

for Information are current capabilities 

with many more under development.

The identification and coding of Space 

cadre billets is important to facilitate accurate reporting of Army Space Cadre billet 

information and metrics to the Department 

of Defense and Congress. Efforts to identify positions for Space enabler designation and coding continue. Associated with 

the identification of billets is their proper 

coding. The ASPDO has coordinated with 

the Department of the Army for the use of 

remarks codes on organizational manning 

documents identifying Space cadre billets. 

A code of 64 identifies the billet as a Space 

professional, with 65 identifying a Space 

enabler.

As we put a close on 2011 and look 

forward to 2012, there is the likelihood of 

significant changes in the Army. A dramatic 

drop in promotion rates, possible reductions 

in force structure, and budget constraints 

all will contribute to making the next year 

interesting to say the least. However, the 

Army Space community can be assured that 

the Army Space Professional Development 

Office will continue to focus its efforts on 

providing education, training, and assignment opportunities for the Space cadre. 

“To ensure a 

trained and 

ready Army 

Space Cadre.” 

Vision 

of the 

ASPDO 

Each of us within 

the organization is 

committed to this 

vision and to all of 

the members of 

the Army Space 

Cadre. It is a 

pleasure to serve 

you, and we look 

forward to a 

great 2012.

Commanding General 

USASMDC/ARSTRAT

Deputy Commanding General for Operations

USASMDC/ARSTRAT

Director

Army Space Personnel

Development Office

MIKE CONNOLLY

Chief

FA40 PDO

JERRY PEPIN

Deputy 

ASPDO

GREG PIPER

Operations

KYLE RAMSEY

Plans

BOB KYNISTON

Professional

Development

JIM SCHLICHTING

Knowledge

Management Officer

DAVE HAGEDORN

Force Manager

AL HUGHES

FA40 Career Manager

MAJ GLEN HEES
Army Space Journal 2012 Winter edition 61

Many factors play into the assignment process for 

Functional Area 40 Space Operations Officers. It 

is rarely as easy as taking the officer’s preference 

and matching it up with a unit’s preference to 

achieve the optimal assignment solution. There 

are essentially two categories of assignment considerations, regulated and unregulated.

reGULAteD

This category covers all considerations that are 

governed by the Department of the Army in 

various forms. The most commonly addressed 

considerations during a permanent change of 

station cycle are Headquarters Department of 

the Army Manning Guidance (Needs of the 

Army), Functional Area 40 Priority of Fill, the 

Married Army Couples Program, Exceptional 

Family Member Program (EFMP), Nominative 

Billets, Time on Station, Schools, Retirements, 

Compassionate Reassignments, and High School 

Senior Stabilization. All of these are backed by 

regulations or other published guidance in order to 

ensure adequate diligence during the assignment 

process. These regulated considerations take precedence over any other consideration.

UnreGULAteD

This category is comprised of all considerations 

that aren’t covered by regulations. Some examples include personal preferences (to include geographic location and specific jobs), desiring to be 

closer to family, and any special need that doesn’t 

meet compassionate reassignment criteria. This 

category tends to have the majority of considerations when it comes time to submit preferences 

for a PCS. The unregulated considerations are also 

most often negated by needs of the Army and the 

FA40 Priority of Fill. In some rare cases, EFMP 

will prevent an assignment to a desired location. 

Additionally, officers wishing to go to a nominative billet can be denied by that gaining unit.

The important takeaway here is to ensure 

you make informed decisions when submitting 

your preferences for PCS. If you have a regulated consideration, coordinate with the assignment officer early in the process so it can be 

addressed. Do research on available FA40 billets 

and assess what you are missing as far as professional experience. As always, I encourage you to 

speak with the Army Space Cadre experts in the 

Army Space Personnel Development Office and 

e-mail or call the assignment officer for any professional development questions.

Upcoming:

Part IV – The 

Request for Orders 

Process Explained

FA40

Career

Management

transparency in 

Assignments Part iii

Special Assignment Considerations

Section Coordinator 

glen.r.hees@

conus.army.mil

502-613-6684

DSn 983-6684

 MAJ Glen Hees is the 

FA40 Assignment Officer 

at the Human Resources 

Command, Fort Knox, 

Ky. Commissioned as an 

aviation officer, his Space 

assignments have included brigade Space planner, Space control division 

chief, and commander, 

4th Space Company.
62 2012 Winter edition Army Space Journal

2.0

Training Insights

Doctrine, Collective training, 

and Lessons Learned 

 By Don Messmer Jr. and Mark James

2011 was a dynamic year for Army doctrine that initiated widespread change affecting every Soldier, Civilian, and contractor 

within U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army 

Forces Strategic Command. The Doctrine, Collective Training, 

and Lessons Learned Branch of the Directorate of Training and 

Doctrine (DOTD) is the command’s executor for these initiatives.

When he was Army Chief of Staff, GEN Martin Dempsey 

established the Mission Command Initiative which included 

the Doctrine 2015 Strategy (D2015) that stratifies Army doctrinal publications, gives identity to each doctrine category, 

reduces document length and number, and is enabled by mainstream publication media technology. Doctrine 2015 Strategy is 

designed to ensure doctrine is current, reduce doctrine development time, and keep pace with Army operations and the dynamic operational environments in which Soldiers fight.

The D2015 categories for doctrine are Army Doctrine 

Publications (ADPs), Army Doctrine Reference Publications 

(ADRPs), Army Techniques Publications (ATPs), and the familiar field manuals (FMs). As illustrated in figure 1, the stratification easily identifies the level to which a specific doctrinal 

product applies. ADPs and ADRPs contain high-level conceptual principles that define the Army’s operation. FMs are now 

largely focused at the proponent and operational level, whereas 

ATPs are focused at the brigade and below.

DOtD the Year that Was

Larry Mize is Chief of 

Space and Ground-based 

Midcourse Defense Education 

Training and the Deputy 

Directorate of Training and 

Doctrine. As a U.S. Navy 

officer, he specialized 

in naval intelligence, 

aircraft carrier operations, 

naval special warfare (SEALs), and Space 

operations, including assignments at U.S. Space 

Command and U.S. Strategic Command.

TO SUBMIT AN ITEM FOR THIS SECTION:

 Larry Mize /// Section Coordinator

larry.mize@smdc-cs.army.mil

719 - 554 - 4545
Army Space Journal 2012 Winter edition 63

The fundamental principles that guide the actions of 

Army forces and explain how those principles support national objectives are embodied in the 15 capstone ADP documents. ADPs provide, in very concise language, the intellectual 

underpinnings of Army operational doctrine. Each of the 14 

ADRPs corresponds to an ADP of the same name; there is 

no ADRP corresponding to ADP 1. ADRPs elaborate on the 

fundamental doctrinal principles described in corresponding 

ADPs. ADRPs do not discuss specific tactics, techniques, or 

procedures and are not longer than 100 pages.

Even though the familiar FMs are retained as a category, 

their quantity, content, and structure will change. U.S. Army 

Training and Doctrine Command has set the number of FMs 

not to exceed 50. FMs describe doctrinal tactics and procedures used by the Army to train for and conduct operations 

consistent with the principles described in ADPs and ADRPs. 

FMs will focus on functions in the main body but will not 

contain techniques as those are reserved for ATPs. FMs not 

included in the list of 50 will be restructured and published 

as ATPs, training circulars, or training manuals. USASMDC/

ARSTRAT will retain FM 3-14, Space in Support of Army 

Operations, and FM 3-27, Army Global Ballistic Missile 

Defense Operations, and bring their structures into compliance with D2015.

Some of the most significant improvements include the 

publishing of ADP 3-0, Unified Land Operations, which 

superseded FM 3-0, Operations. ADP 3-0 introduces unified land operations as the Army’s new operational concept 

that replaces full spectrum operations. FM 3-0 retitled the 

Command and Control warfighting function to the Mission 

Command warfighting function and replaced the term “command and control” with “mission command.” FM 6-0 , 

Mission Command, explains the principles of the mission 

command philosophy and warfighting function, and will eventually morph into ADP 6-0 and ADPR 6-0. Figure 2 shows the 

most recent updates to doctrinal terms; FM 6-0’s preface has a 

Doctrine 2015 Stratification.

complete list of new, modified, and rescinded Army terms 

and rationale.

2011 was equally as busy for the Collective Training 

and Lessons Learned sections. The Collective Training section developed and finalized tasks for the 1st Space Brigade 

in support of Army Space Support Teams, Commercial 

Imagery Teams, Army Space Coordination Elements, Joint 

Tactical Ground Stations, and the 53rd Signal Battalion, 

1st Space Brigade. The collective tasks were developed 

in the Training Development Capability (TDC) system 

and exported to the Digital Training Management System 

(DTMS). Space brigade units and deploying teams now 

can access their collective training tasks in DTMS from 

anywhere in the world. This process replaces the old 

method of using tasks from hard-copy Mission Training 

Plans that became quickly outdated. Collective Training 

members continue their efforts to develop and load the 

100th Missile Defense Brigade supporting individual tasks 

into TDC. Prior to completing the collective tasks for the 

1st Space Brigade, the section exported the 100th Missile 

Defense Brigade’s collective tasks into DTMS.

The USASMDC/ARSTRAT Lessons Learned program office received a much-needed overhaul to reinvigorate it. In 2011 the office conducted redeployment 

debriefs and published 22 debrief and analysis reports on 

Army Space Support Teams, Commercial Imagery Teams, 

Army Space Coordination elements, Space Support 

Element teams, and the Deputy Director of Space Forces. 

The office is working diligently to get the reports out to 

all Soldiers, Civilians, and contractors. The Army Space 

Personnel Development Office is working to overcome 

some technical issues in the Army Space Knowledge 

Management System as the primary repository for all 

USASMDC/ARSTRAT lessons learned products. After 

those technical issues are resolved, Soldiers can access the 

products from NIPRNet and SIPRNet.

FIG1.
64 2012 Winter edition Army Space Journal

neW terMS OBSOLete terMS

Range of Military Operations Spectrum of Conflict & Operational Themes

Operational Environment Battlespace

Unified Land Operations Full Spectrum Operations

Defense Support of Civil Authorities DSCA Civil Support

Mission Command Command and Control and C2 Note 1

Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance ISR Reconnaissance and Surveillance

---- Battle Command

---- Campaign Note 2

nOte 1 The function of command and the function of control are still valid, but not when 

combined into a single phrase or function.

nOte 2 The Army does not conduct campaigns. Joint force headquarters plan and execute 

campaigns and major operations, while Service components of the joint force conduct major 

operations, battles, and engagements, not independent campaigns. JP 5-0, PG ii-22

Quality Assurance & 

Professional Development 

Support to training

 By Michael C. Madsen

Quality assurance and the professional development of 

the training cadre are key components to the conduct 

of USASMDC/ARSTRAT Space and Missile Defense 

Institute of Excellence institutional and qualificationlevel training for Army Space and Missile Defense forces 

deployed around the world. Of paramount importance 

to the training mission is adherence to the Training and 

Doctrine Command’s (TRADOC) 48 accreditation standards for Army training. Executing this vital mission 

for DOTD is the Quality Assurance and Professional 

Development (QAPD) Branch.

Once every three years, TRADOC visits Army 

schoolhouses to ensure that Soldiers and Civilians are 

receiving quality training under the Army School System. 

DOTD has been inspected twice and has earned the 

“Institution of Excellence” rating, last awarded in 2009. 

The inspection team consists of five or six subject-matter experts in training and training development from 

Fort Eustis, Va., and Fort Leavenworth, Kans. The next 

accreditation visit is scheduled for November 2012.

Another responsibility of the QAPD branch is 

ensuring appropriate training and certification of DOTD 

instructional personnel. This involves managing the 

instruction of Systems Approach to Training–Basic 

Course and the Army’s Basic Instructor Course. The 

QAPD branch also ensures DOTD personnel receive 

training on the new Army online training program, 

Training Development Capability, which recently replaced 

the Automated Systems Approach to Training program.

record Setting Year 

for Space training

 By Daryl Breitbach

In 2011 the Army Space and Missile Defense Institute of 

Excellence’s Space Training Division offered more courses and trained more Army Space Cadre members and others across the Department of Defense than in any previous 

year. The growth in courses and student instruction reflects 

USASMDC/ARSTRAT’s efforts to meet the demands of a 

continually changing operational environment and the everincreasing ways Space-based capabilities enable military 

operations.

Nearly 1,000 students attended an Army Space training course in 2011. Additionally, the DOTD staff provided 

Space training to another 1,100 external students, including the Command and General Staff College, IntermediateLevel Education satellite locations, Army Fires Center of 

Excellence, Army Intelligence Center of Excellence, and 

specific unit-level training sessions.

The year saw the first integration of Space Operations 

Software training on the Distributive Common Ground 

System–Army platform; a new course structure for 

the Tactical Space Operations Course and Satellite 

Communications Electromagnetic Interference Course; 

integration of new capabilities in the Joint Tactical Ground 

Station training; and increased training requirements for the 

Space Operations Officer Qualification Course, including 

research assignments and exams.

In 2011 the Army Space Council assigned USASMDC/

ARSTRAT the task to execute an Army-level initiative to 

incorporate Space knowledge and leader development training into Army schools. DOTD and TRADOC will identify gaps in Space knowledge training at the Centers of 

Excellence and integrate Space knowledge training into existing lessons and school curricula.

FIG

New Army Doctrinal Terms.

 2.
Army Space Journal 2012 Winter edition 65

Missile Defense training Divison

 By Clem Morris

The past 12 months have been busy but exciting for the instructors in the Missile Defense Training Division. The division’s 

two branches, Ground-based Midcourse Defense and Sensor 

Management, increased Soldier training throughput by more 

than 35 percent. The Sensor Management Branch conducted 11 

Sensor Manager Qualification Courses (SMQC), training some 

200 Soldiers to support new deployments of the AN/TPY-2 

radar. Additionally, the Sensor Manager Leader Development 

Course was created to instruct the senior operational leadership 

and develop critical thinkers who create techniques, tactics, and 

procedures for their operational units. The course also provides 

leaders with important skills to operate, integrate, and manage 

Missile Defense operations for the radar system. Five courses 

were delivered for the year.

Other significant activities include the award of an 

Additional Skill Identifier (ASI) for SMQC graduates. The ASI 

is critical in aiding planners and other leaders in determining 

the training requirements for Soldiers who deploy in support 

of the radar and identify Soldiers who have been trained on 

this unique operations weapon system. Past graduates of the 

SMQC can contact the Sensor Management Branch education 

technician to receive or inquire about course credit and receipt 

of the ASI. The Army Space Personnel Development Office 

is completing the process for sensor manager positions to be 

designated as Space Cadre billets.

The branch recently opened a new classroom complete 

with an eight-crew training laboratory which replicates a realworld operations center with dedicated Command, Control, 

Battle Management, and Communications system workstations. The lab utilizes the latest technology available in Missile 

Defense mission command applications. It will better enable 

instructors and students to “train as you fight” in a realistic 

learning environment.

A lot of progress has been made within the Groundbased Midcourse Defense (GMD) Branch as well. The organization accepted responsibility for the GMD Operator Course 

as of Dec. 1, 2011. The instructors are hard at work bringing 

the courseware materials up-to-date and in compliance with 

TRADOC standards. The instructors also augment mobile 

training teams to train Soldiers at Fort Sill, Okla., and Fort 

Rucker, Ala. Twelve mobile courses were provided, educating 

more than 400 Soldiers. The Command Launch Equipment 

Course is under development, for implementation by next 

fall. Finally, in order to professionally develop GMD operators throughout their careers and identify those individuals who will serve as “master gunners,” the Master Gunner 

Program was established. It consists of four courses, culminating in a Master Gunner Board where participants will 

compete in an oral selection committee. Courses include 

the Training Management, Advanced Operations, and 

Leader Development sessions. Individuals can take one or 

all of these courses throughout their career to meet the 

organization’s requirements.

In support of the Ballistic Missile Defense System 

(BMDS) asset management process and a demand for training Warfighters on these important activities, the division 

developed the BMDS Asset Management Course. There 

were seven courses with 81 graduates in 2011. In compliance with the Army’s Learning Concept for 2015, an 

effort to maximize online teaching is in place. In a collaborative effort with the Missile Defense Agency, the GMD 

branch has developed online instruction. This step will 

reduce classroom discussion on this topic and focus on

hands-on training.

training Support Division

 By Chip Graves

At the beginning of fiscal year 2011, DOTD took a bold move 

to change the contract vehicle for its contractor employees. In 

partnership with the Contracting and Acquisition Management 

Office-West, the contract vehicle changed from a firm fixed 

price to a cost plus contract. Savings from this move are about 

$1 million. The Training Support Division also converted 14 out 

of 15 contract positions to Department of the Army Civilian 

positions, resulting in a savings of $1.5 million.

Next, the Training Support Division managed and coordinated the overall program for the Command Inspection 

Program (CIP). The CIP consists of nine major areas and 50 

sub-areas. DOTD ensured the primary and alternate action 

officers had the correct checklists and points of contact for 

their respected areas. The Training Support Division was 

successful in passing all areas of responsibility on the fiscal 

year 2011 CIP.

DOTD completed construction on two classrooms at 

Building 20K. These classrooms will facilitate a permanent 

residence area to deliver the Sensor Manager Qualification 

Course and the Distributed Common Ground System–Space 

Operations System training. By providing the instructors with 

a permanent space, there have been vast improvements in the 

following areas:

• Saves approximately one day’s worth of work per 

course transporting, setting up, and tearing down the 

classroom.

• Training aids are more realistic as they do not need to 

be made for easy transportation.

• Permanent classrooms become known within the 

community; avoids having students show up at the 

wrong location.

Lastly, the Training Support Division initiated a building concept project to consolide all Space and Missile Defense classes 

into one location. This building will provide classrooms, labs, 

and inside and outside training for all Space and Missile Defense 

courses taught by the Space and Missile Defense Institute of 

Excellence for Education and Training
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continue reading.

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2012 Winter edition Army Space Journal

24F

roMe 

Faded aS

etHicS 

died

 john w. davis 

counter 

intelligence 

Staff officer, g2

Huntsville, ala. 

IN FIRST PERSON

Photo by Jimmy Walker
Army Space Journal 2012 Winter edition

25F

All speak today of ethics as we do of heaven, as something 

desirable, but not something real or tangible. We would do well 

to reconsider. I speak of how ethics determine our fate. The 

fate of a great empire haunted me when I reflected recently on 

the ancient Romans. I imagine they, too, believed themselves 

invincible, but their choices taught them a bitter lesson.

I could not help but be awestruck by the titanic Roman 

Colosseum. A brooding stone hulk, it dominates the Roman 

horizon. It is a wonder even today, almost 2,000 years after 

its construction. A visitor would do well to pause here, at this 

vast, dead ruin, and consider the end of societies.

We hear much said today about ethics. Ethics in warfare 

is offered at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Scandals 

remove not only teachers, ministers, and captains of industry, 

but also government and contracting officials as well.

Questionable ethics are pervasive. American civil servants 

must sign ethics statements; one’s word is no longer a bond. 

We yearn for a remedy, yet the fabric of our nation continues 

to unravel. Why? Such thoughts crossed my mind as I looked 

out over the Colosseum’s broken chambers, which once held 

fierce animals and their human victims.

How did Rome, which once civilized the Earth, come to 

such an end? That whole society, represented by this giant edifice, is gone. I wondered why.

The Roman society that spread throughout the world idealized character.

It valued and practiced virtues known even then as peculiar to Rome.

In an essay written about 98 B.C., a Palestinian Jew honored Roman virtues:

“Romans were brave, loyal to their allies, forthright, and 

without deception. Roman justice was clear and swift. Yet with 

all this, none of them wore purple or put on a crown as a 

display of grandeur. They made themselves a Senate house ... 

deliberating on all that concerned the people and their well 

being ... and there was no envy or jealousy among them.”

Thus a foreigner described republican Rome.

It was a coherent society. Each citizen was honor-bound 

to do his duties of public service and civil defense. Each tried 

to behave in the Roman character: to strive for the ideal of the 

pragmatic, fair, and well-balanced citizen. Cincinnatus, a farmer, was called to join his fellow citizens as a soldier to defend 

Rome from invasion. He left his plow, served and returned, his 

duty done. The American Minutemen of our Revolutionary 

War used him as their model of the citizen-soldier. Paul of 

Tarsus, a Roman citizen, demanded his right to Roman justice 

in preference to the arbitrariness of other lands. There was 

no need to teach a Roman duty, honor, and country, for such 

ethical concepts were his everyday life. It was when these common beliefs failed that Rome did, too.

Two Roman legions were annihilated to a man by barbarians in distant, trackless Teutoberg Forest, in what is now 

Germany. With this disaster, a germ of trouble began. Truths, 

which inspired Romans to act beyond the call of duty itself, 

began to fade. Service to the country was no longer considered necessary for pampered, wealthy Roman youths. Rather, 

the army came to consist of hired foreigners, who worked for 

pay, not the service of Rome. Virtues that once bound society 

together became laughable to cynical politicians and profane 

writers. Even the republic disappeared, and decadent emperors appeared. Virtue was no longer pursued. In its place was 

substituted the pursuit of pleasure.

The Colosseum was built to satisfy demands for ever 

more bizarre entertainment. When blood spectacles of gladiators and mass combat no longer thrilled, beasts devouring 

humans did. Soon, decadent, jaded Romans demanded more. 

Young slaves were drowned in an artificial lake. Performers 

were murdered by surprise as they acted. Even whole populations of defenseless Christians and Jews were massacred by 

perverse methods of crucifixion to amuse Rome. Romans 

could no longer be shocked.

Salvian, a wise observer, mourned the death of the old 

ways as he said of his countrymen: “(S)omething still remained 

to them of their property, but nothing of their character. They 

reclined at feasts, forgetful of their honor, forgetting justice, 

forgetting their faith and the name they bore. If my human 

frailty permitted, I should wish to shout beyond my strength, 

to make my voice ring through the whole world:

“Be ashamed, ye Roman people everywhere, be ashamed 

of the lives you lead. Let no one think or persuade himself 

otherwise–it is our vicious lives alone that have conquered us.”

The Colosseum, that vast memorial to folly, stands forever so that what brought Rome down can never be hidden. It proves that a good society survives only by seeking a 

higher ethic.

Where once Rome was a model of virtue that the world 

admired, it had become a culture of death. In the quiet of the 

great Colosseum, I could imagine the whisper of Fate warning 

us today.

How did Rome, which once civilized 

the Earth, come to such an end?
2012 Winter Edition Army Space Journal

22F

Story & Photos by DJ Montoya, 

1st Space Brigade Public Affairs

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo.—The senior enlisted leader of the Army Signal Corps turned for advice to the 

Soldier “signaliers” of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense 

Command/Army Forces Strategic Command during a visit Oct. 

24-26.

CSM Ron Pflieger, regimental command sergeant major 

for the U.S. Army Signal Center of Excellence at Fort Gordon, 

Ga., spoke to Soldiers of the 53rd Signal Battalion, 1st Space 

Brigade in Colorado Springs.

At the time, Pflieger had been on the job only 90 days and 

already was making changes. “We are taking the Signal Corps 

in a different direction,” he stated.

“When you look across at what the Army asks the Signal 

Corps to do right now, based on our strength, the way our 

equipment is laid out, and the way we are designed, we can 

only support 34 percent of that requirement. In anybody’s 

eyes that is a non-starter.”

The answer, according to Pflieger, is micro-cyber. 

“Basically this is a re-look as to how we want to train, procure, 

and use equipment. You have got to give us some feedback. 

We don’t want to change the Signal Corps in a vacuum. We 

need ideas from you guys out there in the field.”

Accompanying Pflieger were CSM Gerald Williams of 

9th Signal Command (Army), U.S. Army Network Enterprise 

Technology Command, and SGM Nathanial Hatchett from 

the 15th Regimental Signal Brigade at Fort Gordon.

The visit, sponsored by the 1st Space Brigade, covered 

briefs and tours of USASMDC/ARSTRAT’s Directorate of 

Training and Doctrine and the 1st Space Brigade. The highlight of the visit was a luncheon and meeting with Soldiers at 

the Peterson Club.

Williams addressed the Soldiers by adding, “You as 

Soldiers (signaliers) represent every member of your regiment, 

and you need to be the best damn Soldier that they have ever 

seen. I challenge each and every one of you not to ‘drag your 

duffle bag’ as you go through the required series of training 

and certifications in your field. The things you do in Space 

impact the freedoms that we share each and every day as 

American citizens.

“Our Army is downsizing; you all know that. But I will 

tell you your mission here in Army Space and Missile Defense 

Command is increasing tremendously. So never take light of 

what you bring to the table as an individual.

“Nothing that they do here in SMDC/ARSTRAT can be 

successful if they cannot connect to the network. They can 

talk about us, but they cannot talk without us. And you guys 

are the backbone to allow the mission of SMDC/ARSTRAT 

to be successful.”

After the group departed, CSM Marcus Campbell from 

the 53rd Signal Battalion reflected on the visit. “The Soldiers 

of this command are charged with an awesome responsibility. It was good to see the senior enlisted leadership of the 

Space and Missile Defense Command and the Signal Corps 

work together to enhance our ability to train the Soldiers of 

the 1st Space Brigade.”

Signal Senior Enlis

Seek Space Soldiers’ I
Army Space Journal 2012 Winter edition

23F

FAR LEFT Senior Signal 

Corps enlisted members 

address U.S. Army Space and 

Missile Defense Command/

Army Forces Strategic 

Command Soldiers on 

upcoming changes in the 

Signal Corps and the vital 

role they bring to the Army’s 

Space mission.

RIGHT CSM Gerald Williams 

from 9th Signal Command 

(Army), Network Enterprise 

Technology Command, urges 

53rd Signal Battalion Soldiers 

to set the standard for the 

regiment they represent.

BOTTOM CSM Ron Pflieger, 

regimental command sergeant 

major, U.S. Army Signal Center 

of Excellence, gives the lowdown on changes coming in the 

Signal Corps to Soldiers of the 

U.S. Army Space and Missile 

Defense Command/Army 

Forces Strategic Command 

Soldiers on Oct. 25.

Sted 

nput
Honors 

Multinational 

Service

but when war ended and peace was restored. She said it was hard 

to imagine on such a beautiful day what Kwajalein must have 

been like in January 1944, during the bombardment of Kwajalein 

and Roi-Namur by land, air, and sea. At the end of Operation 

Flintlock, 500 U.S. forces had lost their lives.

“Since the liberation of the Marshall Islands, this country has continued a special and unique relationship with the 

United States,” Campbell said. “The people of the Marshall 

Islands have contributed to U.S. military efforts and global 

security in many ways.”

Alex Burnley, Thomas Greene, Hannah Finley, and 

Isaiah Parrish, members of Kwajalein Boy and Girl 

Scout troops, came forward to hand off the wreaths 

for the Laying of Wreaths ceremony. The ceremony honors fallen comrades, those who answered 

their nation’s call and literally gave all. Campbell 

and Mills joined Lisa Marks of American Legion 

Post 44 and Amy LaCost, representing the post’s 

auxiliary, to place wreaths at the base of the 

Operation Flintlock memorial and in front 

of the U.S. national colors, the colors of the 

Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the 

2nd Raider Battalion memorial.

Parrish finished the ceremony asking 

everyone to “humbly thank our veterans 

for answering the call to duty, especially 

those who fought and died here in the 

Marshall Islands. Let us never forget.”

The American Legion Post 

44 rifle squad fired a three-volley salute on the hill while high 

school senior Alex Shotts played 

“Taps.”

kwajalein 

cereMony

Kwajalein residents (from left) Cynthia Rivera, Ray Drefus, and Connie 

Greene pay their respects during the national anthem Nov. 11 at the 

U.S. Army Kwajalein Atoll Veterans Day ceremony.

Honors 

Multinational 

Service

but when war ended and peace was restored. She said it was hard 

to imagine on such a beautiful day what Kwajalein must have 

been like in January 1944, during the bombardment of Kwajalein 

and Roi-Namur by land, air, and sea. At the end of Operation 

Flintlock, 500 U.S. forces had lost their lives.

“Since the liberation of the Marshall Islands, this country has continued a special and unique relationship with the 

United States,” Campbell said. “The people of the Marshall 

Islands have contributed to U.S. military efforts and global 

security in many ways.”

Alex Burnley, Thomas Greene, Hannah Finley, and 

Isaiah Parrish, members of Kwajalein Boy and Girl 

Scout troops, came forward to hand off the wreaths 

for the Laying of Wreaths ceremony. The ceremony honors fallen comrades, those who answered 

their nation’s call and literally gave all. Campbell 

and Mills joined Lisa Marks of American Legion 

Post 44 and Amy LaCost, representing the post’s 

auxiliary, to place wreaths at the base of the 

Operation Flintlock memorial and in front 

of the U.S. national colors, the colors of the 

Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the 

2nd Raider Battalion memorial.

Parrish finished the ceremony asking 

everyone to “humbly thank our veterans 

for answering the call to duty, especially 

those who fought and died here in the 

Marshall Islands. Let us never forget.”

The American Legion Post 

44 rifle squad fired a three-volley salute on the hill while high 

school senior Alex Shotts played 

“Taps.”

kwajalein 

cereMony

U.S. Army Kwajalein Atoll Veterans Day ceremony.

veteranS Hono

20F

U.S. ARMY KWAJALEIN ATOLL, Republic of 

the Marshall Islands—Living on an island where 

a battle was fought and lives were sacrificed 

makes Veterans Day on Kwajalein quite special. 

It is a time to remember and honor veterans, past 

and present, who have and continue to sacrifice 

in service to the United States.

At U.S. Army Kwajalein Atoll’s ceremony 

Nov. 11, MAJ Stephen Parrish welcomed veterans and distinguished guests. He briefly spoke 

of how Veterans Day originally was coined 

Armistice Day, marking the date World War I 

ended. It was changed in 1954 to honor veterans of all wars.

Acting commander LTC Christopher Mills 

said, “Today is the day that gives us time to 

remember all veterans that have served, who we 

can thank for the current freedoms we continue 

to celebrate today. It’s not just U.S. citizens who 

place their lives on the line for our country; we as 

Soldiers have the privilege to serve alongside soldiers of many other nations as well. Among our 

audience are Families of U.S. service members 

from the Marshall Islands who place themselves 

in harm’s way in defense of our country. We 

are honored to have you here today.” Mills then 

introduced Martha Campbell, the U.S. ambassador to the Marshall Islands.

“I am very proud and honored to be speaking to you today,” Campbell said, “particularly on 

this auspicious Veterans Day, 11-11-11.”

Campbell noted that Veterans Day is celebrated not on the anniversary of a great battle, 

 Story and photo by Sheila Gideon, USAKA/RTS Public Affairs
73F

2012 Winter edition Army Space Journal

HUNTSVILLE, Ala.—LTG Richard Formica didn’t stay on the 

reviewing stand for very long.

As soon as the color guard leading the Veterans Day parade 

began its march in front of the reviewing stand, Formica jumped 

down from his designated spot as the parade reviewing officer 

so he could be up front and center.

For the next two hours, he waved, encouraged, saluted, 

and expressed his sheer delight to the event’s participants, saying “Thank you for being in the parade!,” “Thank you for your 

service!” and “Thanks for sharing your Soldier with us!” When 

it was possible, he even shook hands and gave hugs.

It was a rare expression from a three-star general, but one 

that everyone enjoyed. “It’s good to honor those who honor 

us,” said Formica, commander of U.S. Army Space and Missile 

Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command. “These 

people took the time to come honor our veterans. The least I 

can do is greet them and recognize their contributions.”

The general’s excitement never waned, even though he was 

charged with reviewing more than 150 entries and 500 individual pieces. As bands, military hardware, Scout troops, Junior 

ROTC units, Cahaba Shriners, antique car owners, and many 

other entries passed by, Formica made sure they knew he appreciated their effort.

“This is unbelievable,” Formica said of his first Huntsville 

Veterans Day parade. “This is a noble and enthusiastic tribute to 

our veterans, to those who serve and who have served. This was 

huge, and it was well-attended and truly honored our veterans.”

Veterans Day committee chairman Joe Fitzgerald was 

impressed with the turnout for the parade. There was a fear 

that a three-day weekend would find many people out of town. 

But just the reverse happened, with thousands of spectators 

flooding downtown Huntsville for the parade.

A new Huntsville-Madison County Veterans Memorial was 

dedicated prior to the parade in downtown Huntsville’s Veterans 

Park. USASMDC/ARSTRAT leadership and employees participated in the opening ceremony and ribbon cutting.

Formica gave remarks during the ceremony, stating the 

memorial is “a fitting tribute to our veterans, who are visible 

reminders in our communities of duty, sacrifice, patriotism, and 

our nation’s enduring commitment to its values.” He and CSM 

Larry Turner also helped cut the ribbon.

The memorial displays the names of 367 local veterans who 

made the ultimate sacrifice. More than 500 people attended the 

dedication ceremony.

“It’s terrific. It brings tears to your eyes,” Korean War veteran Jerry Tepper said as he visited the memorial.

Tepper and his wife, Barbara, a Marshall Space Flight 

Center contractor, attend the Veterans Day parade every year. 

This year they came early for the memorial dedication.

“I’m a veteran, and I want to be part of this,” said Tepper, 

who has to use a wheelchair to get around. “It’s a beautiful day 

for a patriotic parade. The day has been beautiful and inspiring.”

alaBaMa parade 

inspires with red,

white, and Blue

LTG Richard P. Formica, 

commanding general, U.S. Army 

Space and Missile Defense 

Command/Army Forces Strategic 

Command, thanks participants for 

being in the Veterans Day parade 

Nov. 11 in Huntsville, Ala. 

Photo by Dottie White 

Honored By Kari Hawkins, Redstone Rocket, and Dottie White, USASMDC/ARSTRAT Public Affairs
18F

vETERANS HonorED

Colorado Parade 

Inspires with the 

Flight of the Flags

“ Our forward deployed and forward 

positioned Soldiers were not able to 

march down the parade route, but believe 

me when I share that they were with us 

in spirit, and appreciated by those in 

attendance. It is an honor to lead such a 

patriot formation as we marched downtown, but is a much greater honor for 

a commander to be included in such a 

magnificent formation of heroes.”

— COL Eric P. Henderson

ABOVE Prior to the start of the 2011 Colorado Springs 

Veterans Day parade, Cub Scouts sought out every military 

formation marching and passed out “Thank You for Your 

Service” cards. TOP RIGHT SFC Christopher Knoth joined 

a group of Air Force Personnel from Peterson and Schriever 

Air Force Bases in making up the Flight of the Flags. The 

theme for this year’s parade was Pearl Harbor - 70 years in 

Remembrance. BOTTOM RIGHT COL Eric P. Henderson, 

commander of the 1st Space Brigade, leads members of 

the Flight of Flags down Tejon Street as CSM Thomas 

Eagan, also from the 1st Space Brigade, keeps step with flag 

bearers. The group was composed of service members from 

the Army’s only Space brigade, Peterson Air Force Base, 

Schriever Air Force Base, and Fort Carson.

Photos by DJ Montoya
75F

Army Space Journal 2012 Winter edition
2012 Winter edition Army Space Journal

16F

OSAN AIR BASE, Korea—The Joint Tactical Ground 

Station at Osan Air Base, Korea, Charlie Detachment, 

1st Space Company, runs a 24-hour-a-day operation. 

Its in-theater early missile warning support mission 

never stops, even on Thanksgiving Day.

Usually the holidays are a time when airports are 

crowded so people can fly home to spend time with 

their families. This Thanksgiving the leadership team 

from the detachment’s parent unit boarded a plane 

and came more than 5,000 miles to spend the holiday with Soldiers overseas. COL Eric P. Henderson, 

1st Space Brigade commander, and CSM Thomas L. 

Eagan, brigade command sergeant major, flew in to 

enjoy a tradition known to many of those who wear 

the uniform, a holiday meal eaten in the local dining 

facility.

“I relish the opportunity to be in the company of Soldiers, particularly those Soldiers who 

more often than not are far away from their family during the holidays,” said Henderson. “I want 

them to understand that they are appreciated by 

every level of this command, and that due to 

their diligence and vigilance, thousands of their 

fellow service members can enjoy their holiday in 

safety and security because the Soldiers of JTAGS are 

on watch.”

The leadership team sat down for a Thanksgiving 

meal with more than two dozen detachment members.

The meal is the first holiday Eagan has spent with 

Soldiers of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense 

Command/Army Forces Strategic Command since 

he joined the command in August.

“There is no greater honor than spending the 

holiday in the company of Soldiers,” Eagan said. 

“Coming here was the right thing to do, and there was 

nowhere else I would rather spend this Thanksgiving. 

These Soldiers work long hours to accomplish their 

mission. Coming here is just a small token of our 

appreciation for their selfless service and their commitment to the Army Values.”

The mission at JTAGS is an important one and 

one that never rests. A trained and ready crew is 

always on watch.

“We are on a 24-hour-a-day mission here in 

Korea,” said SPC Brandon Schoen, JTAGS operator. “We help provide the overall picture to the lower 

echelons in theater and make sure they are protected 

on a 24-hour basis against any incoming missiles, and 

of course working with elements in the contiguous 

United States.”

While making personal sacrifices is nothing 

new as a Soldier–one of the Army Values is Selfless 

Service–the dedication level of these Soldiers doesn’t 

go unnoticed by their leaders.

“It’s really motivating to the Soldiers to see their 

leadership giving up their holiday and time with their 

families, to fly overseas to spend the time with them,” 

said SFC Christopher L. Barber, C detachment noncommissioned officer in charge. “The Soldiers get a 

sense of how important their mission is over here, and 

it re-energizes them. We have a tough mission, and we 

work a lot of long hours. A visit like this, especially on 

a holiday, will keep these Soldiers motivated to continue to serve.”

 Story and photo By Rachel L. Griffith, USASMDC/ARSTRAT Public Affairs

giving 

tHankS

overSeaS

Gen. Gary L. North, commander, Pacific Air Forces, serves a Thanksgiving meal to members of 

Charlie Detachment, 1st Space Company at the Ginko Tree Dining facility on Osan Air Base, Korea.
Army Space Journal 2012 Winter edition

17F

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.—The senior 

noncommissioned officers of the 100th 

Missile Defense Brigade passed the sword 

to a new enlisted leader during a Change of 

Responsibility ceremony Oct. 18.

MSG Robert Cunningham was appointed to first sergeant before he was passed the 

sword signifying his new responsibility as the 

first sergeant of the 100th brigade.

“I’d like to first express my humble 

gratitude for being given the opportunity to 

serve you as your new first sergeant,” said 

Cunningham. “It will be my passion to ensure 

all Soldiers will receive quality leadership, 

training, and mentorship within all levels of 

the brigade.”

Passing the responsibility to him was 

1SG William Ray, who served as first sergeant 

for four years and will be moving into the 

unit’s operations section.

“When you’re a first sergeant, you guys 

are my children. I worry about you, I try to do 

everything I can to make you succeed,” said 

Ray, addressing the brigade.

During the ceremony, the leaders spoke 

to Soldiers about the work they have done as 

a unit and how all leaders will do their part to 

make sure the transition is smooth.

CPT William Shanahan, the Headquarters 

and Headquarters Battery commander, talked about the impact Ray made on him over 

the last four years and his contributions.

“I can honestly say that he made 

every decision with the best interest of 

the battery in mind and always thought 

about the battery first,” said Shanahan. 

“He’s taught me a lot, and I’ll miss him.”

Shanahan also advised the noncommissioned officers to heed Ray’s example.

“NCOs, I would encourage you to follow his example and always think of what’s 

best for the battery, the unit, or the Army,” 

he said.

But as one man leaves his leadership role, 

the next one has to keep it going. Cunningham 

laid out his plans and expectations while 

addressing his new charges.

“I will provide the total success through 

NCODP (noncommissioned officers development program) and all categories of training,” 

he said. “I expect NCOs to be the example, 

know their Soldiers, and train them. Do what is 

expected as a leader, to include implied tasks. I 

expect all Soldiers to live the Army Values and 

the Warrior Ethos and to instill them in your 

subordinates and peers alike.”

Cunningham also challenged leaders 

to take care of the brigade as a whole, not 

as individuals, and to take the Army Values 

to heart. He closed with a message for the 

Soldiers to take home with them.

“I realize there are many expectations 

in place, set and improved by the previous 

leadership,” Cunningham said. “I hope to 

meet and exceed those expectations. Once 

again, I would like to thank those in attendance for your service to this great nation and 

the opportunity to serve you. Go home and 

thank your Families. For they are the backbone of the Soldiers, as NCOs are the backbone of the Army.”

 By SGT Benjamin Crane, 100th Missile Defense Brigade Public Affairs

paSSing 

autHority

Missile defense Brigade 

appoints new First Sergeant

CPT William Shanahan, 

Headquarters and 

Headquarters Battery 

commander, 100th 

Missile Defense Brigade 

right, promotes 1SG 

Robert Cunningham 

during the Change of 

Responsibility ceremony.

Photo by SSG Clay 

Mullins, 100th Missile 

Defense Brigade

CSM Russell Hamilton of the 

100th Missile Defense Brigade 

shakes 1SG William Ray’s 

hand and shares a word of 

congratulations for a job well 

done after the brigade’s Change 

of Responsibility ceremony. 1SG 

Robert Cunningham succeeded 

Ray during the ceremony. Photo 

by SSG Clay Mullins, 100th Missile 

Defense Brigade
2012 Winter Edition Army Space Journal

78F

REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala.—The first U.S. 

Army-built satellite in more than 50 years completed its mission in mid-January 2011 as it succumbed 

to the Earth’s gravity and burned up during reentry.

The Space and Missile Defense CommandOperational Nanosatellite Effect (SMDC-ONE) was 

launched Dec. 8, 2010, as a secondary payload on 

a Falcon 9 two-stage booster, a Space Exploration 

Technologies, or SpaceX, launch vehicle. The U.S. 

Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army 

Forces Strategic Command is the Army lead for the 

SMDC-ONE nanosatellite program.

SMDC-ONE remained in orbit 35 days, slightly beyond the original projection of 26 to 34 days. It 

provided a large amount of data to review and build 

upon for the Army nanosatellite program.

“This satellite has wildly exceeded my expectations,” said John London, nanosatellite technology 

manager at the USASMDC/ARSTRAT Technology 

Center in Huntsville, Ala. “We achieved our mission goals and began achieving our ‘stretch’ goals for 

the flight.”

The primary objective of the maiden flight was 

over-the-horizon communications between unattended ground sensors. The data was from sensors 

identical to what U.S. Soldiers currently use.

With ground stations a straight-line distance 

of more than 1,000 miles apart in Huntsville and 

Colorado Springs, Colo., the satellite made multiple 

passes over each ground station daily. Most of the 

passes were useful and allowed for the transfer of 

text and image files.

The SMDC-ONE nanosatellite is approximately 10 inches long and consists of three, threeinch cubes weighing about 10 pounds.

The first Army-built 

satellite in more than 

50 years, the SMDCONE nanosatellite, is 

launched aboard the 

SpaceX Falcon 9.

Photo courtesy of 

collectSPACE

By John Cummings, USASMDC/ARSTRAT Public Affairs

Nanosatellite

Marks Army’s

Return to Space
Army Space Journal 2012 Winter edition

15F

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo.—Soldiers 

from the 117th Space Battalion (Colorado Army 

National Guard), 1st Space Brigade, were recognized 

for their contributions to a Marine Corps development 

project in Afghanistan during a welcome-home ceremony Aug. 19.

MAJ Brad E. Rhodes, 1LT Steven B. Dunlap, 

SSG Timothy F. Kretsch, SPC Annie M. Acrea, SPC 

Johnathon D. Nunnali, and SPC Nathaniel D. Rogers 

are members of Army Space Support Team 22. 

They served in Afghanistan from November 2010 to 

August 2011.

LTC Jesse Morehouse, commander of the 117th 

Space Battalion, gave an example of the team’s 

importance during its deployment.

“The Marines actually had a canal that they were 

paying to have built,” said Morehouse. “They needed 

to inspect the work to make sure it was getting done 

to standard. Problem was sending out a group to 

inspect the canal was difficult and dangerous because 

of the bad guys on the ground.”

Realizing the problem, the Army Space team 

educated the Marines on the fact they could get satellite images of the work from above and monitor 

progress without ever having to stand on the ground.

“It turns out taking picture from Space of a canal 

many miles long, you get a better feel for what has 

actually has been done than standing on the ground 

next to a pile of dirt,” Morehouse said. “They kept 

Soldiers from unnecessarily going into harm’s way. 

This is one of the many things they did during their 

tour in-theater.”

COL Eric P. Henderson, commander of the 1st 

Space Brigade, thanked the team by saying, “Major 

Rhodes, I’m proud of you for bringing your team 

home safely. The contributions your team has made, 

the products you have produced, the lives you have 

changed, not just for yourselves but for the people 

of Afghanistan and our coalition partners who stand 

shoulder to shoulder with us, reflect greatly on this 

command and the U.S. Army.”

Rhodes relinquished the coin given to him for 

safekeeping in November 2010 back to the brigade 

commander. In a unit tradition, deployed Army Space 

support teams carry a coin with them for their entire 

tour, then return it for display in brigade headquarters.

Henderson presented each team member with 

the Army Commendation Medal for a job well done.

Army space support teams provide Spacebased products and capabilities to Warfighters on the 

ground. The mission of the 117th Space Battalion is 

to plan, coordinate, integrate, synchronize, and execute global Space force enhancement operations and 

assigned state requirements in support of Army, joint, 

and combined forces and civil authorities.

 Story and Photo by DJ Montoya, 1st Space Brigade Public Affairs

COL Eric P. 

Henderson left 

receives the 1st 

Space Brigade 

mission coin from 

Army Space Support 

Team 22 leader 

MAJ Brad Rhodes, 

who kept the coin 

during a nine-month 

deployment in 

Afghanistan.

arMy 

Space 

teaM 

guideS 

MarineS 

in aFgHan 

project
2012 Winter edition Army Space Journal

10

11

laSer teSt Facility 

cHangeS HandS

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

The U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command took charge of the 

High Energy Laser Systems Test Facility at White Sands Missile 

Range, N.M., operated since 1990 by the U.S. Army Space and 

Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command. 

The transfer is an effort to reduce overall overhead for Army laser 

test facilities while continuing to support customers. Programs 

conducted at the facility include the Tactical High Energy Laser 

program, Mobile Tactical High Energy Laser program, tracking 

and interception of rocket, artillery, and mortar projectiles in flight, 

and using a low-powered chemical laser to acquire and track a 

satellite. USASMDC/ARSTRAT will continue to conduct testing 

there, including the High Energy Laser Technology Demonstrator 

and Solid State Laser Testbed Experiment.

arMy launcHeS 

advanced HyperSonic 

weapon deMonStrator

In an event which lasted less than 30 minutes, USASMDC/ARSTRAT 

conducted the first test flight of the Advanced Hypersonic Weapon. 

The AHW, a first-of-its-kind glide vehicle designed to fly within 

the Earth’s atmosphere at hypersonic speed and long range, was 

launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility, Kauai, Hawaii, 

to U.S. Army Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands. The Advanced 

Hypersonic Weapon Technology Demonstration is a cooperative 

effort within the Department of Defense to develop a conventional 

Prompt Global Strike capability. The program will advance state-ofthe art thermal protection materials, controls and communications, 

and internal thermal management schemes. In-flight environmental data collection will aid the understanding and modeling efforts 

for all Prompt Global Strike concepts, such as the Air Force’s 

Conventional Strike Missile. Hypersonic flight is speeds of about 

3,600 mph or higher.

3,260 military and 

civilian students educated 

in Space & Missile defense 
Army Space Journal 2012 Winter edition

13F

1.5 Million

Friendly Force tracking reports received
10F

Medical Volunteers

Bring Things into Focus on Kwajalein

2012 Winter Edition Army Space Journal

U.S. ARMY KWAJALEIN ATOLL, Republic of the 

Marshall Islands — Helping the blind see was just 

one goal for a team of volunteer medical professionals who spent two weeks working on Ebeye island.

Canvasback Ministries, a nonprofit organization, has worked in the Marshall Islands since 1986. 

In October 2011 it sent experts in ophthalmology, 

optometry, dermatology, and dentistry to Ebeye and 

Ennibur.

The team saw more than 600 patients, performed some 200 surgeries, and donated services 

worth $600,000. Volunteers donate their time and 

pay for their air tickets to Kwajalein.

U.S. Army Kwajalein Atoll’s Host Nation 

Activities Office coordinated some of the team’s 

logistical support and facilitated entry requirements 

and paperwork.

“The work that Canvasback does helps to facilitate relations [between the U.S. and] the Marshall 

Islands,” said Bill White, a USAKA liaison specialist.

Jacque Spence, who founded Canvasback with 

her husband, Jamie appreciates the help provided by 

USAKA and the community on Kwajalein.

“What Kwajalein people do for us really makes 

this mission possible,” Spence said.

Many of the operations performed were 

eye surgeries. Patients who were diagnosed with 

cataracts had the cloudy lens removed and replaced 

with a lens implant, with the goal of restoring vision 

Dr. David Gano, an 

ophthalmologist with 

Canvasback Ministries, 

performs a followup exam with Bantol 

Pendinin at Ebeye 

Hospital in the Marshall 

Islands, after cataract 

surgery which restored 

Pendinin’s vision. A 

group of volunteer 

medical professionals 

treated hundreds of 

patients in the Marshall 

Islands last October.

to as close to 20/20 as possible. Patients also 

were fitted for prescription or reading glasses. 

Other patients were treated for skin conditions 

or dental problems.

Some of the patients have not been able to 

see for years, and according to Spence, witnessing them discover sight all over again is one of 

the greatest rewards.

“They were blind and now they see,” 

exclaimed Joy Glynn, referring to the fact that 

many patients were considered legally blind due 

to cataracts. Glynn, a Kwajalein resident, volunteered to work with the group after meeting 

Jacque Spence while scuba diving.

12Army Space Support Teams, Commercial Imagery Teams, & 

Army Space Coordination Elements deployed or returned

Story and Photo by Ruth M. Quigley, USAKA/RTS Public Affairs
08

Soldiers from the 49th Missile Defense Battalion, 100th 

Missile Defense Brigade, at Fort Greely, Alaska, tested 

their marksmanship capabilities at the MAC Region 6 

Combat Marksmanship Competition in Wyoming. After 

placing in the top five at state-level competition, SSG 

Jason Martin and SGT Albis Gomez teamed up with 

SGT Derick Butler and alternates SFC Kevin Mcgaha 

and SGT William Velez for the regional competition. The 

Marksmanship Advisory Council hosts regional competitions to enhance marksmanship proficiency and battle 

focus weapons training among Soldiers and Airmen in the 

National Guard. At the state match Martin, Gomez, and 

Butler were the top three dominating scores in their class 

for rifle and pistol. They next competed against Guard and 

Air Guard members from Alaska, Idaho, Montana, North 

and South Dakota, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming.

49tH Battalion MarkSMen

coMpete at regional level

AUGUST

Army Space Journal 2012 Winter edition

05

Bravo Company, 53rd Signal Battalion, 1st Space Brigade 

received an Army Supply Excellence Award for 2010 during the annual Army Chief of Staff’s Combined Logistics 

Excellence competition. SGT Precious L. Knight, company supply sergeant, accepted the award in the category for active-duty small units under the Modified Table 

of Organization and Equipment from SMA Raymond F. 

Chandler III at a ceremony in Richmond, Va. The Supply 

Excellence Award recognizes excellence in supply operations. Its objectives are to enhance logistics readiness of 

all Army units, enforce the Command Supply Discipline 

Program, and provide a structure for official recognition 

of group and individual initiatives.

MAY

Bravo coMpany 

winS Supply eXcellence award

216,000 commercial imagery products processed
2012 Winter edition Army Space Journal

84F

01

The Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance 

honored MAJ Michael Toby of the 

100th Missile Defense Brigade as 

Missile Defender of the Year from the 

Army National Guard. The ceremony 

recognized Soldiers, Airmen, Sailors, 

and National Guardsmen who, according to their peers and commanders, 

have contributed greatly to the field of 

Missile Defense. Winners are considered to represent the best in leadership 

and personal effort and to have demonstrated their commitment to excellence. Toby, the brigade’s assistant 

operations officer, received the award 

from BG Kurt Story, deputy commanding general for operations of U.S. Army 

Space and Missile Defense Command/

Army Forces Strategic Command.

JANUARY

This section is based on 

articles and photos by SGT 

Benjamin Crane, Jason 

Cutshaw, Craig Denton, 

Rachel L. Griffith, MAJ 

Laura Kenney, DJ Montoya, 

CPT Erol Munir, Deborah 

Ward, and Dottie White.

MiSSile deFender 

oF tHe year

2011raiSeS 

tHe Bar

IN SPACE & MISSILE DEFEN
Army Space Journal 2012 Winter edition

03 MARCH

In response to a devastating earthquake 

and tsunami in Japan, Soldiers of Delta 

Detachment, 1st Space Company, 1st Space 

Brigade provided more than 400 hours of volunteer cleanup work. Joint Tactical Ground 

Station personnel also conducted a tactical vehicle convoy to a town 150 miles away 

to deliver vital supplies to U.S. Agency for 

International Development search and rescue 

teams. The Geospatial Intelligence Division at 

Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., used satellite 

imagery and special exploitation techniques to 

provide products to U.S. Pacific Command on 

the damage to the Fukushima nuclear power 

site and its continued impacts and determine 

that a berthing area near the plant was clear of 

debris, allowing for the entrance of U.S. Navy 

ships and equipment the next day.

Army Chief of Staff GEN George Casey approved 

the establishment of the Space Badge. The badge is 

awarded to active Army, Army Reserve, and National 

Guard Soldiers who complete appropriate Spacerelated training and attain the required Army Space 

Cadre experience. The badge has three levels: 

basic, senior, and master. For active duty Soldiers, 

the Basic Space Badge is awarded after 12 months, 

the Senior badge after 48 months, and the Master 

badge after 84 months. For Reserve and National 

Guard Soldiers, the Basic badge is awarded after 24 

months, the Senior badge after 60 months, and the 

Master badge after 96 months.

02 FEBRUARY

Employees of the U.S. Army Space 

and Missile Defense Command/

Army Forces Strategic Command 

in Huntsville, Ala., and Colorado 

Springs, Colo., joined forces to help 

residents devastated by deadly tornados that struck northern Alabama. 

Soldiers and Civilians contributed 

some $6,000 to aid families, moved 

household goods for temporary storage, cut fallen trees, and provided 

minor damage repair. The command’s Future Warfare Center supplied commercial satellite imagery to 

local, state, and federal emergency 

management agencies, mapping 

out known damaged areas and projecting a likely tornado path. This 

eliminated a large search area to 

the south with little or no damage, 

allowing the emergency agencies 

to devote their time and resources 

to the worst-hit areas.

04 APRIL

 

r

NSE

japaneSe diSaSter 

toucHeS Space warriorS

Space Badge recogniZeS 

warriorS oF tHe HigH ground

coMMand aidS 

coMMunitieS

aFter tornadoS
2012 Winter edition Army Space Journal

6F

Day three put the participants through familiarization and 

refresher training to prepare them for the field training and 

mystery event portions of the competition. Competitors also 

completed day and night land navigation challenges.

The day also marked the first time a Secretary of the 

Army has attended the Best Warrior event. John C. McHugh, 

along with Chandler, visited as the 26 Soldiers and NCOs 

were familiarizing themselves with weapons to be used later.

“I think it’s absolutely essential that all the leadership, 

both uniformed as well as civilian, has a chance to get out here 

and see the Soldiers in action,” said McHugh.

He spoke with the competitors’ sponsors, who were there 

to provide support and guidance to their respective competitors. After McHugh’s remarks about the direction the Army 

will go in the future, the sponsors asked questions of McHugh 

and Chandler. Brown’s sponsor, SFC Jared English of the 1st 

Space Battalion, asked the leaders about Force Shaping and 

how it may affect Soldiers like himself.

“To be able to meet the Secretary of the Army is a huge 

honor and something very few people, very few Soldiers, for 

that matter, actually get to do,” English said. “He’s the top 

guy in the Army, and everything goes through him. To be able 

to get first-hand knowledge from him and to find out what 

the Army is working on for the future really was an amazing 

opportunity.”

Kitchen’s sponsor, SSG Christopher Miller of the 53rd 

Signal Battalion, asked about the implementation of the Army 

Physical Readiness Test and if it would affect current height 

and weight standards.

Chandler handled that one, stating that the new test was 

still under review and that Soldiers can expect much stricter 

height and weight standards in the coming months.

“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Miller said. “I can’t 

say I thought I’d ever get the chance to talk to the Secretary 

of the Army, much less ask him a question that’s been on my 

mind, in such a small group forum.”

After the question and answer session McHugh and 

Chandler visited several training stations to speak with the 

competitors. At the Mission Oriented Protective Posture 

familiarization station focusing on protective gear used during 

a chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear attack, Chandler 

selected Brown to speak to McHugh about his experience in 

the competition.

“It’s such an honor to be here to represent the Soldiers 

from Space and Missile Defense Command,” Brown told 

McHugh.

Day four began with a large-scale mass casualty exercise. 

Afterwards the competitors were assigned a fire team to join 

them throughout the day in tests at the Military Operations; 

on Urban Terrain site. The day concluded with day and night 

live-fire ranges.

“It’s my last year so I’m definitely going to light up their 

world with the night fire range. I’m ramping things up this 

year for sure,” said CSM C. C. Jenkins Jr., Fort Lee’s command 

sergeant major, who oversaw the events.

The mystery event began with artillery fire and a mass 

casualty evaluation and included another stress fire lane, an 

additional escalation of force test, and a uniform inspection.

The final event of the competition was a non-evaluated 

combatives tournament.

“I’m extremely proud of how both competitors performed and represented the command,” said CSM Larry S. 

Turner, USASMDC/ARSTRAT’s senior enlisted Soldier. 

The winners were announced during the Best Warrior 

Awards Luncheon at the Association of the United States 

Army annual meeting and symposium. The 2011 NCO of 

the Year is SGT Guy Mellor, representing the Army National 

Guard and 1st Battalion, 145th Field Artillery, Utah National 

Guard. The Soldier of the Year is SPC Thomas Hauser, representing Forces Command and the 563rd Military Police 

Company, 10th Mountain Division.

Day one of the competition put the competitors though an Army Physical Fitness Test, portions of the Army Physical Readiness Test, 

and tested their ability to lead a calisthenics routine.
Army Space Journal 2012 Winter edition

SGT Brandon A. Kitchen prepares to enter the MOUT site with his fires team during the surprise event.

The Best Warrior Competition began in 

2002 under the direction of SMA Jack Tilley as 

a three-day event. Tilley wanted to create a standards-based competition open to all Soldiers that 

recognized the “total Soldier concept.” The competition was also meant to show the American 

public “just how good we are in the Army.”

The competition since has evolved into a 

five-day event that requires Soldiers to perform 

individual warrior tasks and battle drills, as well 

as leading a team of Soldiers. Each subsequent 

Sergeant Major of the Army has put his own 

touch on the competition. In 2007, then-SMA 

Kenneth O. Preston directed organizers to better 

reflect the operational environments of Iraq and 

Afghanistan in the competition. 

Warriors selected to vie for the prestigious 

titles have mastered a series of benchmarks 

throughout the year to qualify for the Armywide Best Warrior Competition. Competitors for 

Soldier of the Year include the ranks of private 

through specialist, and competitors for NCO of 

the Year include corporal through sergeant first 

class. All active duty, Army National Guard, and 

Army Reserve Soldiers are eligible.

Participants in the 2011 event came from 

Forces Command, Training and Doctrine 

Command, U.S. Army Europe, Army Materiel 

Command, Eighth Army, Medical Command, 

Army Pacific Command, Space and Missile 

Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic 

Command, Army Special Operations Command, 

Army Reserve Command, Army National Guard, 

and the National Capitol Region, which includes 

several smaller commands.

7F
2012 Winter edition Army Space Journal

SFc Brown

Sgt kitcHen

4F coM

Be

2011

ARMY
Army Space Journal 2012 Winter edition

FORT LEE, Va. — In October the U.S. Army Space 

and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic 

Command sent its top two Warriors to Fort Lee, Va., to 

compete in the Department of the Army Best Warrior 

Competition, hosted by SMA Raymond F. Chandler III.

SFC Andrew B. Brown (then a staff sergeant) and SGT 

Brandon Kitchen were selected to represent USASMDC/

ARSTRAT after winning a competition last summer against 

peers from all other Space and Missile Defense units, which 

tested many areas of being a Soldier.

Brown and Kitchen joined 12 other noncommissioned 

officers and 12 Soldiers who were chosen as top performers 

from commands around the Army for the five-day competition.

“It’s good to compete against them, learn from them, 

and develop camaraderie with them,” Brown said.

Brown is stationed in Colorado Springs with the 

1st Space Battalion, 1st Space Brigade, and is a Joint Tactical 

Ground Station training and evaluations noncommissioned 

officer in charge. Kitchen, a Colorado Springs native, is stationed at Fort Meade, Md., with the brigade’s 53rd Signal 

Battalion, where he is a satellite communications operator.

Day one put the competitors through a physical fitness 

test and a written exam and tested their ability to lead a platoon of Soldiers through a calisthenics routine. They also 

took part in portions of the new Army Physical Readiness 

Test, although that portion was not graded.

On day two the 13 NCOs and 13 Soldiers appeared 

in front of Command Sergeants Major boards to examine 

their knowledge in military leadership, current affairs, survival, and other focus areas. Competitors were evaluated on 

their answers, their uniform appearance, and how they conducted themselves in front of some of the Army’s senior 

enlisted leaders.

SFC Andrew B. Brown 

observes the gathering crowd 

during the Military Operations 

in Urban Terrain site exercise 

during the surprise event.

SGT Brandon Kitchen briefs 

his fire team before heading 

into the Improvised Explosive 

Device lanes.

 Story and Photos by Rachel L. Griffith, USASMDC/ARSTRAT Public Affairs

uSaSMdc/arStrat'S top nco & Soldier

Mpete For

eSt warrior
two Brigades

2F

This was another year of growth for the GroundBased Midcourse Defense system, as we continue to improve our ability to protect the nation 

from ballistic missile threats. Much of the system 

infrastructure is now in place; construction of the 

new power plant and Missile Field 2 at Fort Greely, 

Alaska, is substantially complete. These two projects 

are the last major construction planned for the Fort 

Greely Missile Defense Complex, so the complex’s 

configuration should be stable for at least the next 

several years.

While our infrastructure growth in Alaska has 

slowed, we have had some big changes in our radars. 

In addition to Detachment 10 in Shariki, Japan, 

we are in the process of deploying two more AN/

TPY-2 radar systems. The Detachment 11 radar is 

on the ground in Turkey as part of the European 

Phased Adaptive Approach, and the Detachment 12 

radar will go into U.S. Central Command later this 

year. Several more AN/TPY-2 radars are planned for 

the next few years, and we are currently training the 

sensor mangers who will monitor these systems and 

the maintainers who will keep them running. Once 

these systems are all emplaced and operating, the sun 

will never set on the 100th Missile Defense Brigade.

In addition to the AN/TPY-2s, the Early 

Warning Radar in Thule, Greenland, has been 

upgraded and is now part of our architecture, significantly increasing our ability to defend against threats 

from Southeast Asia. Additionally, the Sea-Based 

X-Band radar, another critical missile defense sensor, 

has been formally turned over to the U.S. Navy and is 

operating in the Pacific.

As we all know, a major disaster struck our 

Japanese allies last year with the earthquake and 

resulting tsunami. The Detachment 10 Soldiers 

located in Shariki were severely challenged to maintain radar operations in the aftermath of the disaster. 

Power was interrupted, communications were disrupted, and there was an extreme shortage of fuel, 

so keeping the generators that power the radar running was a challenge. Detachment 10 Soldiers also 

provided humanitarian support to the local towns of 

Miyako and Noda, collecting and delivering water, 

clothing, shelters, and personal items.

2011 saw a significant increase in our direct 

interaction with U.S. Navy Aegis ships. The brigade 

now conducts regularly scheduled missile defense 

and data link exercises with the ships in the Pacific 

Fleet, to include supporting their pre-deployment 

training. The communication and coordination 

between the brigade fire control nodes and our naval 

brethren has become seamless.

Two combatant commanders were among the 

dignitaries who visited Fort Greely. Gen. C. Robert 

Kehler (U.S. Strategic Command) and GEN Charles 

H. Jacoby Jr. (North American Aerospace Defense 

Command and U.S. Northern Command) visited the 

49th Missile Defense Battalion, as well as numerous 

other military and congressional distinguished visitors.

The threat continued to evolve over the past 

year. We have seen significant ballistic missile developments in both North Korea and Iran. In North 

Korea, the death of Kim Jong-il and the rise of his 

son Kim Jong-un to power add to the uncertainty. 

Regardless of what the future holds, the Soldiers of 

the 100th stand ready to protect the homeland. 

looking Back at 2011

 COL 

Gregory S.

Bowen

C o m m a n d e r

100th Missile 

Defense Brigade

100th Missile Defense Brigade

None 

Shall 

Pass.
one SMdc/arStrat

3F

Guard,

Engage,

Destroy!

The business of defending America against an intercontinental ballistic missile threat is a 

24/7/365 task. Therefore, as expected, it has been 

a busy year for the Soldiers of the 100th Missile 

Defense Brigade (Ground-based Midcourse Defense). 

Aside from the day-to-day rigors of continuous operations on the GMD Fire Control System and securing 

the missile defense complex at Fort Greely, Alaska, 

these professional warriors strived for continued 

excellence during multiple Operational Readiness 

Evaluation certifications, force protection external 

evaluations, and Tier I exercises in support of U.S. 

Northern Command and U.S. Strategic Command.

The Soldiers of the 100th also sought opportunities to go above and beyond whenever the situation 

dictated, while maintaining their focus on missile 

defense tasks. In March 2011, Soldiers from the 10th 

Missile Defense Detachment at Shariki, Japan, were 

pressed into action to help provide local community support in the aftermath of the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear catastrophe that devastated parts 

of Japan. Detachment Soldiers (along with warriors from the Misawa-based Joint Tactical Ground 

Station detachment of the 1st Space Brigade) took 

action to assist the people of Japan, while maintaining mission capability in the process.

2011 also marked significant achievements and 

recognitions for individual Soldiers of the brigade. 

Among them, LTC Michael Tobey (Headquarters 

and Headquarters Battery) was recognized by the 

Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance (MDAA) as its 

Missile Defender of the Year for the Army National 

Guard. CPT Kirby Atwell (commander, 10th Missile 

Defense Detachment) was selected by MDAA as a 

Missile Defender of the Quarter for the actions he 

led in Shariki during the disaster relief efforts. SGT 

Benjamin Maye (Headquarters and Headquarters 

Battery) competed in Best Warrior competitions for 

USASMDC/ARSTRAT and the Colorado Army 

National Guard. He placed second overall in the 

Colorado Army National Guard competition.

Our warriors of the 49th Missile Defense 

Battalion, located at the “forward edge of freedom” in the great State of Alaska, had yet another 

outstanding year. SPC Ernesto Ventura and SGT 

Christopher Thomas participated in the Alaska 

Army National Guard’s Best Warrior competition, with SPC Ventura winning the Soldier category and SGT Thomas placing as the first runner-up 

in the NCO category. SPC Richard Prestwich won 

the Soldier category for the USASMDC/ARSTRAT 

Western Region Best Warrior competition for the 

fourth quarter and will compete in the command’s 

overall competition this coming spring. The 49th has 

worked to further strengthen its relationship with the 

local community of Delta Junction by competing in 

(and winning) the second annual battalion vs. Delta 

Junction High School floor hockey tournament and 

fundraiser. The event was a great success and raised 

more than $2,000 for the local community.

The brigade experienced growth and change. 

The 11th Missile Defense Detachment was activated in the U.S. European Command area of responsibility, and the activation of the 12th Missile Defense 

Detachment is in progress for support of U.S. 

Central Command. These radar detachments add 

robustness to our system and provide a capability to 

the geographic combatant commanders that previously did not exist.

The changes to the brigade’s structure and the 

actions and efforts of its Soldiers highlight the continuing evolution of an organization that celebrated 

its eighth year of service. Many challenges have been 

conquered in those eight years. To be certain, the year 

ahead will be no less challenging. However, the roughly 300 professional Soldiers of this brigade will continue to face these challenges head-on as they stand 

ready to defend 300 million Americans 24/7/365.

‘the 300’ Finish Strong

 CSM 

Russell A. 

Hamilton

100th Missile 

Defense Brigade
two Brigades

92F

“Exercise one, conditioning drill one is the side straddle hop! The side straddle hop is a fourcount exercise.” I remember many years ago learning 

how to do physical training and how to lead PT. This 

was a very important aspect to the Army for Cadet 

Henderson. “By the numbers” was a phrase to explain 

“step by step” how we do things. Later, as a lieutenant 

colonel, I participated in a promotion board where we 

were instructed to “look at the numbers” as a quantitative method of measuring an officer’s performance. As I 

reflect upon this past year’s activities within the 1st Space 

Brigade, here are some numbers to share with you.

On the mission side, three Army Space Support 

Teams, two Commercial Imagery Teams, and one 

Army Space Coordination Element deployed in-theater. Three ARSSTs, two CITs, and one ASCE came 

home after successful missions providing the right 

products to the right “customer” at the right time. 

The 53rd Signal Battalion relocated Delta Company 

from California to Wahiawa, Hawaii, standing up the 

Army’s first Wideband Satellite Communications 

Operations Center and integrating five members of 

the Australian Defense Forces into its operations 

without blinking an eye. At the same time it continued to oversee the construction of another WSOC 

at Fort Detrick, Md. 1st Space Battalion Space teams 

participated in combatant command exercises in 

Japan, Korea, Germany, and Australia as well as mission rehearsal exercises inside the contiguous United 

States. 2011 marked the first deployment of a Space 

situational awareness system outside the United 

States in support of a combatant commander since 

the establishment of the brigade.

On the kudos side 13 Soldiers were inducted 

into the Sergeant Audie Murphy Club. CPT Tilisha 

Lockley from the 53rd and CPT Christy Orser 

from the brigade’s Headquarters and Headquarters 

Company received MacArthur Leadership Awards. 

Orser also garnered a Congressional Fellowship. SSG 

Paul Martin from the 1st Space Battalion earned the 

title of Distinguished Honor graduate with an overall 

GPA of 96.89 from the 25S Senior Leaders Course. 

SSG Benjamin Sharp proved an Army Soldier doing 

a Space mission could win the title of Outstanding 

Enlisted in Category Two during the annual Pikes 

Peak Region Armed Forces Day Luncheon.

When the going got tough, the brigade got 

going. After the March earthquake and tsunami that 

caused widespread damage in Japan, volunteers from 

Delta Detachment at Misawa Air Base conducted a 

tactical vehicle convoy to deliver vital supplies to 

search and rescue teams, all the while performing 

their strategic missile warning mission. Joint Tactical 

Ground Station Japan conducted 400 hours of cleanup missions. When Typhoon Songda destroyed the 

Auxiliary Satellite Control Terminal on Okinawa, 

Echo Company, 53rd battalion, developed and led a 

joint, multi-agency effort to mitigate the operational impact by deploying tactical Marine Corps satellite 

terminals to perform the strategic mission until the 

Army unit was repaired.

Generosity and community involvement were 

not lost on the brigade’s people in 2011. For the second year the brigade assisted its sister service, U.S. 

Air Force, by leading and marching in the Flight of 

Flags entry during the Colorado Springs Veterans 

Day parade. The brigade also extended its community 

involvement across the globe. An example can be seen 

in the participation of 37 Soldiers and Family members and four volunteers–all from Charlie Company, 

C1

1st Space Brigade

2011...“By the numbers”

 COL

Eric P. 

Henderson

C o m m a n d e r

1st Space Brigade
one SMdc/arStrat

1F

 CSM 

Thomas L.

Eagan

1st Space Brigade

The 1st Space Brigade underwent a lot of changes in 2011. From moving into a new building, to my 

placement as the new Command Sergeant Major of 

the unit, it’s been a busy year. Just from my short time 

with the brigade, I am amazed at the accomplishments 

of our Soldiers.

Let’s begin with two outstanding Soldiers 

who represented the command as a whole at the 

Department of the Army Best Warrior Competition. 

Both Soldiers came out of the 1st Space Brigade. The 

command’s Noncommissioned Officer of the Year, 

SFC Andrew Brown from the 1st Space Battalion, 

and Soldier of the Year, SGT Brandon Kitchen from 

the 53rd Signal Battalion, showed dedication, courage, and continual displays of excellence while representing not only the brigade but also the U.S. Army 

Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces 

Strategic Command. I am extremely proud of both 

of these Soldiers.

Our Soldiers continue to impress me with their 

commitment to living the Army Values, especially 

when it comes to selfless service. In Misawa, Japan, 

Delta Detachment, 1st Space Company, stepped up 

when disaster struck. Under the leadership of CPT 

Erol Munir and SFC Marcus Weiland, the Soldiers 

volunteered more than 900 hours of community service, providing national disaster relief. Whether it 

was setting up a convoy to get supplies to the Red 

Cross when they needed them or literally rolling up 

their sleeves and cleaning up the mess, those Soldiers 

were there.

The Sergeant Audie Murphy Club is an elite 

group, with the offer of membership only to the best 

of the best among Soldiers in the Army. Only the top 

ten percent of the Army’s NCOs are inducted. In 2011 

I’m proud to say 11 Soldiers from the brigade were 

inducted. As we move into 2012, one of my goals is 

to enhance our SAMC selection process and work to 

develop more candidates from 1st Space Brigade.

As we continue to successfully deploy Leaders 

and Soldiers, we must ensure their education enhances 

their ability to lead and maintain technical proficiency. We will develop junior NCOs by providing training 

programs, enhancing physical fitness and discipline, 

resolving Family issues, and offering counseling. We 

also will work to establish and improve relationships 

with other commands and agencies on the installations where we are a tenant unit. This means fostering 

an environment in which our Leaders and Soldiers get 

to know and interact daily with local commands and 

organizations. We will use these relationships to educate those we serve with and to inform our Leaders 

and Soldiers on the services local agencies provide to 

the Warfighter every day.

53rd–in the U.S. Army Garrison Kaiserslautern RedRibbon Run/Walk designed to raise drug and alcohol 

abuse awareness. Ten Soldiers from Echo Company 

volunteered at the Kadena Special Olympics in 

Okinawa, Japan. Closer to home, Bravo Company 

participated in the Honor Flight Network, meeting 

World War II veterans at the Baltimore-Washington 

International Airport and escorting them to the 

nation’s capital to view the WW II memorial. Finally, 

HHC, 53rd, volunteered at the Marion House Soup 

Kitchen in Colorado Springs, preparing and serving 

meals to 180 needy families.

As 2012 begins, it is important that we “take a 

look at the numbers.” Quantitative, hard facts highlight 

some of the many successes the 1st Space Brigade has 

enjoyed through the hard work and dedication of its 

Soldiers, Civilians, and contractors. When it comes to 

accomplishments and achieved milestones, the numbers never lie. We look forward to the future and the 

way ahead for the world’s only (“One”) Space brigade.

There

is Only

1 Space

Brigade.

an amazing year 
Army 

Space Team

Guides

Marines

in Afghan 

Project

Giving 

Thanks

overseas

Veterans

Honored