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Thank you, Chairman Reed and Ranking Member Wicker. Good morning, 

ladies and gentlemen of the Committee. It remains my distinct honor to represent the 

18,000 military servicemen and women, civilians, and families of U.S. Space 

Command who are serving our nation around the world. Thank you for this 

opportunity to testify before this committee. 

I am proud to lead such a talented and patriotic group of Joint space 

professionals. Their expertise, diversity, and creativity underpin our strength and 

effectiveness. Of all the elements of military spacepower, our most valued asset is 

and always will be our people.

My provisional headquarters achieved Initial Operational Capability in just 

two years. And we will reach Full Operational Capability through the disciplined 

initiative of our people. 

Spacepower enables our way of life and is a critical component of our 

national security. I thank Congress for its support to advance America’s primacy in 

space. We must maintain our position of advantage in the space domain and ensure 

it remains sustainable, safe, stable, and secure1 for all. 

The Joint Force relies on space-based capabilities to project and employ 

power. China and Russia consider this dependency a “soft underbelly” and seek to 

exploit it. They intend to limit our access to space during crisis and conflict, and 

they are fielding capabilities to that effect. Our strategic competitors’ irresponsible 

actions have transformed space into a contested domain. 

We must prevent today’s strategic competition from growing into a conflict in 

space. We achieve this by deterring aggression, defending national interests, and, if 

necessary, prevailing in any domain. 

U.S. Space Command contributes to integrated deterrence by preserving

freedom of action in space and by providing critical support to the rest of the Joint 

Force. 

Our mission spans the spectrum of conflict and every domain. For example, 

we are creating concepts to further integrate space, cyber, and special operations to 

generate asymmetrical advantages around the globe. Additionally, our protect and 

defend mission involves all three segments of the space architecture: ground, link, 

and space – an approach that requires all-domain solutions. 
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My command’s planning horizon is near-term. We must be ready to fight 

today – the threat will not wait. To this end, we are leveraging the Joint Force, our 

Allies, and Partners to integrate and maximize the capabilities we have today. At 

the same time, we look forward to the capabilities the Services are developing for 

the future fight.

As we observe in Ukraine, commercial space assets are a significant force 

multiplier. For years, our Commercial Mission Partners have augmented our

military Satellite Communications and provide enhancements to our Space Domain 

Awareness sensor network. Commercial integration is critical to mission success. 

Today’s hearing reasserts the United States’ resolve to maintain our 

leadership and position of advantage in the space domain.

Before I address the Committee’s questions, I want to reiterate to the 

American people my unwavering pledge: U.S. Space Command will ensure there is

never a day without space.

Thank you.