Video: Air Force Secretary Wilson Lays Out Priorities in Space

“Everything we do in our daily lives is enabled by space.” Dr. Heather Wilson, who was sworn in last month as the 24th secretary of the U.S. Air Force, said this and more in front of a Capitol Hill audience June 16. Her address was recorded and the video was sponsored by Intelsat General.

In her speech, Wilson spoke about new developments aimed at maintaining the U.S. as a superior space power including leveraging commercial space. She talked about changing the culture within the Air Force relating to space by highlighting service personnel like Airman First Class Jake Pullen, who was named Space Operator of the Year for his work on anti-jamming.

Secretary Wilson outlined four critical capacities in space that must be better defended:

• Assured Access
• Dynamic Situational Awareness
• Integrated Command and Control – siloed space constellations are no longer tenable
• Satellite Defensive Capabilities – these can include disaggregation, redundancy and maneuverability

She also spoke about the creation of new position, the Deputy Chief of Staff for Space inside the Air Force. Accelerating and streamlining the acquisition of space technology was also referenced, along the lines of what SOCOM has done with its processes.

Please see below for the video.