United Launch Alliance is committed to ensuring that the United States remains the leader in space and is ably capable of protecting our national interests and the peace of the global commons during this next evolution of the space race. With the establishment of Phase 2 of the National Security Space Launch program last year, the U.S. space industry is well positioned to build upon our past successes in delivering critical payloads to orbit and to stay well ahead of our adversaries in 2021.

China remains a major threat to all aspects of the United States defense community. Experts in the intelligence world have characterized China’s intentions as a comprehensive strategy to dominate the U.S. economically, militarily and technologically. Its efforts to become a military superpower span from stealing our intellectual property to using its intelligence services to replicate our capabilities in emerging technology sectors. These threats are real and should be a focus for the international defense community. The recent National Defense Authorization Act conference report referenced these same threats, citing China’s efforts to “to seize control of critical elements of the United States space industry supply chain and United States space industry companies.”

ULA is combatting these efforts by staying one step ahead of China. We know it will respond to America’s latest rocket technology with its own, leading us to think creatively, plan proactively and create new solutions that will maintain America’s leadership.

Fundamentally new capabilities will be needed both in how we reach orbit and what we do there. A critical element will be to determine the requirements of Phase 3 of the NSSL program. This will guide the United States to field space capabilities that stay ahead of our adversaries. By understanding the needs of the next-generation space architectures, we can reap the benefits of innovation and ward off emerging security threats. This will be a crucial next step for our industry this year, and we look forward to working with the new administration to see it through.

We are committed to maintaining our superiority in space while protecting America’s national security interests, but we can only do so by remaining realistic about the threat posed by China. The opportunity to continue to position the U.S. as the leader in space is where our industry’s real opportunity to grow, lead and serve our great nation lies.

Tory Bruno is the president and CEO of United Launch Alliance.

Control of space and protected assets in orbit are vital to American security here on Earth. Space was once thought to be a peaceful environment for scientific advancement, but as national security objectives have evolved, space has transformed into a potential battlefield. With countries increasingly concerned about deterrence and conflict strategies, the importance of assured and reliable access through mission-specific launch services has become clear, and the Pentagon’s new combatant command, SPACECOM, must move quickly to secure U.S. assets.

Years ago, space changed from a place of discovery into a necessity for American life — and for military operations. From the Air Force-managed GPS satellites that run mapping programs with the touch of a button to billion-dollar National Reconnaissance Office spy satellites that keep our intelligence community informed on what our adversaries plan to do next, it is clear that space is a potential war-fighting domain.

War fighting, when it comes to both established adversaries and emerging terrorist threats, has changed along with technology. Now it is time for America to fundamentally change its approach to space.

In World War II, technology did not allow us to pinpoint the location of our enemy with the click of a button. In order to defeat the enemy, the U.S. knew that our imperative was to first locate the enemy in a vast region. For example, the Battle of Midway, which is considered a major turning point, occurred because U.S. Navy pilots were able to successfully locate the Japanese fleet before the American fleet was discovered. These types of naval engagements, where surprise and miscalculation dominated, are unimaginable today because of America’s assets in space. As technology has improved, so has situational awareness.

As our space assets play increasingly vital roles in keeping us safe, it is essential that we have the capability to launch these assets and protect them once they are in orbit. Our military’s access to space, with state-of-the-art rockets that are purpose-built for national security and have a legacy of precision, is a necessity as we work to protect ourselves. Since its creation, SPACECOM has both understood the threat of unprotected space assets and discussed this new war-fighting domain with industry partners.

Our assets in space have increasingly become a target for enemies and adversaries. Based on the history of space being an uncontested sphere, and due to the extreme difficulty operating there, our satellites and communications devices are relatively unprotected. Earlier this year, the U.S. intelligence community reported that Russia and China both have the capability to interfere with and destroy these critical assets.

China’s well-known aspirations in the Pacific Rim, as well as Russia’s objectives in Eastern Europe and Eurasia, are driving them to both innovate and expand their offensive capabilities in space. Their motivations to change the geopolitical status quo could be hastened by taking action against U.S. national security space assets. These actions could range from jamming a communications satellite to operations rendering assets inoperable.

The U.S. government currently has 78 satellites in orbit, which serve a variety of key functions. These assets give troops in the field the ability to communicate with each other, provide intelligence officials with information on North Korea’s missile launches, and even power the GPS on civilian devices. An interruption in these communications could have devastating consequences for the U.S.

As adversaries continue to more aggressively test these weapons, it is clear that U.S. national security space assets are necessary for our intelligence community to both see and understand the threat to U.S. military personnel and assets, civilians, and our allies. However, if an adversary has compromised our assets in space, the U.S. could be left in the dark when it comes to the threat and its impact.

What are now essential parts of our economy have been built around fragile national security space assets. It is well past time to assure that these assets, and the American operations behind them, are properly protected. As nations continue to invest in their national defense through war-fighting capabilities in space, it is imperative that the United States remain at the forefront of this new chapter in space.

Tory Bruno is the president and CEO of United Launch Alliance. He has a background in aerospace engineering and is a member of the U.S. president’s National Space Council.

Our military leaders are preparing America for the future, making sure that our defense capabilities outmatch those of our rivals around the globe so that we may keep the peace here on earth and above. Space has shown itself to be the next frontier of national security. America must be prepared for the new risks and challenges this brings.

Earlier this year, a Defense Intelligence Agency report on China’s military power discussed the country’s use of “more sophisticated satellite operations,” and surmised that China “probably is testing dual-use technologies that could be applied to counterspace missions.” The report also highlights Chinese PLA writings that emphasize the necessity of “destroying, damaging, and interfering with the enemy’s reconnaissance…and communications satellites.”

America cannot sit idly by as China and other adversaries invest heavily in programs that would disable or destroy satellites in orbit above the earth.

The development of next-generation rockets is critical to preparing for the future of our national security and deterring and defeating threats in space. Our nation is uniquely advantaged by, and dependent upon, space. We must maintain this ultimate high ground and deter others bringing warfare into this domain. If deterrence fails, we must prevail in protecting the critical capabilities our space assets provide.

When I took over as CEO of United Launch Alliance (ULA) nearly five years ago, our nation was in the midst of a conversation about the future of space access. Two issues needed to be resolved: our nation’s reliance on the Russian-made RD-180 rocket engine, and the lack of a second, reliable launch provider that could meet all national security requirements.

Congress, the Air Force, and industry came together to put our nation on a path to resolve these issues and strengthen our national defense. Last October, the Air Force awarded three agreements for next generation rocket development in the most rigorous national security launch competition ever. These public-private partnerships require industry to put skin in the game and fund at least 33.3% of their rocket’s development. ULA is far exceeding that threshold. This year, the Air Force is continuing the competition with Phase 2, which will determine the two launch providers that will support our country’s national security launches for the next decade.

The Phase 2 acquisition is a carefully planned program crafted by experts in the Air Force who lived through the launch failures and commercial space market crash of the 1990s. Reliability is paramount when it comes to security in space, and this acquisition process allows the Air Force to set requirements while allowing industry to innovate and reduce the cost of launch.

The decision to select two providers is ideal, ensuring the nation benefits from competition and that at least two providers are always capable of performing the most difficult national security missions. Selecting more than two providers would risk the health of those companies, given the flat global demand for launch and the glut of both domestic and global launch providers. It is imperative that our nation has assured access to space for all of its missions and a healthy, robust industrial base to provide that access.

Additionally, Phase 2 winners must meet all national security requirements — and it is important to remember that not all launches are created equal. Some satellites can be loaded horizontally and be flown to relatively simple orbits, in a single shot, literally in a matter of minutes. Others, however, require complex vertical satellite integration, many hours of orbital insertion, complex trajectories, extraordinary precision, and strenuous classified requirements.

With each and every type of national security mission in mind, ULA is on track to have a new rocket with increased capability, substantially lower launch costs, and American-made rocket engines — the Vulcan Centaur. Vulcan has been designed as a rocket purpose built for our nation’s needs with an architecture centered on the national security mission set, while providing the flexibility to meet a future of evolving requirements.

As America continues to build up its space capabilities, we must remember that national security in space is the greatest objective — and that is how American rockets must be designed. Countries around the globe are building launch vehicles and space defense systems at a rapid pace. Some are investing their country’s national treasure in order to extend future conflicts into space, making it a warfighting domain.

The Air Force must ensure America is armed with the most capable rockets available, supported by a robust industrial base, in order to show our strength around the globe and maintain peace and security for all nations.

Tory Bruno is the president and chief executive officer of United Launch Alliance.