{"id":21434,"date":"2019-04-09T15:46:59","date_gmt":"2019-04-09T15:46:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2019\/04\/09\/welcome-to-the-pentagons-space-week-will-it-define-the-departments-future-in-orbit\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T21:56:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T21:56:13","slug":"welcome-to-the-pentagons-space-week-will-it-define-the-departments-future-in-orbit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2019\/04\/09\/welcome-to-the-pentagons-space-week-will-it-define-the-departments-future-in-orbit\/","title":{"rendered":"Welcome to the Pentagon\u2019s \u2018Space Week.\u2019 Will it define the department\u2019s future in orbit?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. \u2014 It starts with a speech by acting Defense Secretary <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/pentagon\/2019\/03\/28\/whats-the-state-of-play-for-a-defense-secretary-shanahan\/\" target=_blank>Patrick Shanahan<\/a>. That\u2019s followed up quickly by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, then Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson. Later, throw in Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein, incoming Space Command head <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/space\/2019\/03\/26\/air-forces-top-space-officer-tapped-to-lead-us-space-command\/\" target=_blank>Gen. Jay Raymond<\/a> and a group of international air chiefs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And that\u2019s just on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Welcome to what top Shanahan staff have internally dubbed \u201cSpace Week,\u201d a three-day stretch where Pentagon officials will lay out their competing views for the future of the department\u2019s space architecture, as Congress launches its own debate about whether those plans should be adopted and how.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/c2-comms\/satellites\/2019\/04\/09\/what-new-threats-menace-the-peace-of-space\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/3941761.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">The chicken-and-egg debate about new threats in space<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Years before Space Force, nations set in motion the current state of weapons aimed at orbit.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It starts with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/space\/2019\/04\/09\/chinese-threats-necessitate-new-space-structures-shanahan-warns\/\" target=_blank>two days of speeches<\/a> at the annual Space Symposium and culminates on Thursday. Shanahan, Wilson, U.S. Strategic Command chief Gen. John Hyten and Gen. Joe Dunford, the chairman of the joint chiefs, will appear on an unusually stacked panel in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee that day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite all the action, a senior defense official, speaking ahead of the week\u2019s events, tried to downplay the importance of the week to the Pentagon\u2019s plans for the future, saying \u201cnot really\u201d when asked if this is a make-or-break moment for the department\u2019s push to create U.S. Space Command, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/space\/2018\/12\/20\/trumps-new-space-force-to-reside-under-department-of-the-air-force\/\" target=_blank>Space Force<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/space\/2019\/03\/13\/pentagon-officially-stands-up-space-development-agency-names-first-director\/\" target=_blank>Space Development Agency<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the official did acknowledge \u201cthis week is an opportunity to make our case to the American public, to the space community and to the Senate in particularly on Thursday.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And Brian Weeden, a former Air Force officer and space expert with the Secure World Foundation, said this would be a \u201chuge week for the administration\u2019s national security space proposals,\u201d although he points to Thursday\u2019s hearing as the main event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI expect them to make a strong PR push for everything at the symposium, but the real test will be convincing Congress,\u201d Weeden said. \u201cSo far, the DoD has not been able to answer why they need both Space Force and [U.S. Space Command], and how that solution will fix the current problems with [Air Force Space Command] to Congress\u2019 satisfaction.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/federal-budget\/2019\/03\/12\/heres-how-much-money-the-defense-department-wants-for-its-trio-of-new-space-organizations\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/div_nrol47_1a.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Here\u2019s how much money the Defense Department wants for its trio of new space organizations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Out of the Space Force, U.S. Space Command or the Space Development Agency, which organization is set to get the most money in fiscal 2020? The answer may surprise you.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Showtime<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In many ways, Shanahan\u2019s presence at the Space Symposium is symbolic of how quickly space has become a major priority for the Pentagon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The show was, for years, fairly sleepy from a defense standpoint. Major contractors would attend, as would those Air Force and government officials who directly deal with space. But the level of officials at the conference this year \u2014 both from the U.S. and abroad, with a special conference of global air chiefs hosted by Goldfein to discuss space issues \u2014 is unprecedented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The timing of the Senate hearing, just after many of the key officials dealing with space will make speeches at the symposium, means the proponents of the Pentagon\u2019s plan will have a chance to hone their public remarks before facing lawmakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2019\/03\/21\/is-the-pentagon-moving-quickly-enough-on-hypersonic-defense\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/northrop-grumman-counter-hypersonics-defeating-invincible-v1.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Is the Pentagon moving quickly enough on hypersonic defense?<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The Pentagon is still years away from being able to defend against hypersonic weapons.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The senior Pentagon official described the Defense Department\u2019s thinking as a case of wanting to get ahead of a problem, rather than dealing with it later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe can wait, but then we\u2019ll probably be doing something like this in a couple years once there\u2019s something significant, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/global\/asia-pacific\/2019\/03\/27\/in-wake-of-indian-anti-satellite-test-shanahan-urges-thoughtfulness-in-space\/\" target=_blank>significant event<\/a> that forces us to do it,\u201d the official said. \u201cWe\u2019d rather lean forward, be prepared, organize for the future rather than organize for the past. We think this is a way to get after it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shanahan will have to pitch the trio of agencies to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/space\/2019\/04\/08\/rep-mike-turner-on-why-hes-softened-on-space-force-and-the-importance-of-an-east-coast-missile-defense-site\/\" target=_blank>potentially skeptical Congress<\/a>, where members seem to have largely embraced the idea of Space Command but remain divided on whether the Space Development Agency or the Space Force are necessary, and if or when they should come into existence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s going to be different from what the White House proposed,\u201d House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith, D-Wash., said last month. \u201cThree more four-star generals are not going to make us stronger in space.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2019\/03\/13\/house-democrats-to-give-trumps-space-force-a-makeover\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1003471392.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">House Armed Services to give Trump\u2019s Space Force a makeover<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee says the president&#039;s Space Force proposal will not survive his panel.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The senior Pentagon official said to expect three key messages from Shanahan. First, \u201cthat the status quo is not working, or will not keep us ahead of the threat\u201d going forward, hence the need for the new architecture. Second, that \u201cspace is now a physical domain that we need to protect and defend,\u201d and that other physical spaces \u2014 sea, air and land \u2014 have their own military branches, so a Space Force is the logical next step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And finally, that while the impetus for a stand-alone Space Force has come from President Donald Trump, the push for a new space organization actually came from congressional marching orders two years ago, and the Pentagon is just following through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOne of the things that we want to tee up is this whole organizational review &#8230; that Congress actually teed up,\u201d the official said. \u201cA large part of why we\u2019re having this conversation is Congress\u201d \u2014 and hence, Congress should support it in some bipartisan fashion, the official added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That strategy appears to line up with comments from Rep. Jim Cooper, the Tennessee Democrat who chairs the House Armed Services\u2019 Strategic Forces Subcommittee, who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/space\/2019\/04\/08\/rep-jim-cooper-talks-trumps-space-force-takeover-and-whats-next-for-nukes-and-missile-defense\/\" target=_blank>recently told Defense News<\/a> that Trump \u201cobviously hijacked our proposal and exaggerated it. Now it\u2019s returning back to the centrist proposal that it always was.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m hopeful that the president did not hopelessly politicize the issue when the Republican campaign committee announced a competition for the best space patch. I thought that was a terrible development,\u201d Cooper said. \u201cHopefully Trump\u2019s involvement, especially now that the actual proposal is much more like our original proposal, hopefully that will de-politicize it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link smg-interstitial-link--fallback wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/space\/2019\/04\/09\/colorado-emerged-as-frontrunner-for-us-space-command-headquarters-do-other-states-still-have-a-chance\/?utm_source=twitter.com&#038;utm_medium=social&#038;utm_campaign=Socialflow+DFN\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__fallback-link\">Colorado emerged as frontrunner for US Space Command headquarters<\/a><\/aside>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Potential fault lines<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shanahan\u2019s pitch was visible in the kickoff event of Space Week, the acting secretary\u2019s speech on Tuesday morning at Space Symposium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe realized that although we have the talent we need and the technology at our fingertips, the department does not currently have the organizational and leadership structure necessary to move fast, leverage new technology and defend our space interests,\u201d Shanahan said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cRather than watch the world evolve around us, we are seizing the strategic initiative. We went back to the drawing board and came up with a new plan. This plan will impose costs on our would-be adversaries and deny them any perceived benefits \u2014 to paraphrase President Reagan, peace in space requires strength in space.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In another sector of the speech, he said: \u201cOur military is structured around physical domains: Navy on sea, Army on land and Air Force on air. Given the changes in the environment, we now need a military service dedicated to protecting and defending space \u2014 the Space Force.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2019\/03\/13\/in-memo-air-force-head-hits-space-development-agency-as-not-ready-for-prime-time\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/16x9-composite.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">In memo, Air Force secretary slams Space Development Agency as not ready for prime time<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The Pentagon wants to cut more than 100 current jobs and replace most of them with Space Development Agency roles.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For those who follow Pentagon intrigues, the back-to-back speeches of Shanahan and Wilson provided a preview of fault lines for the SASC hearing. The two have clashed over the formation of the Space Force and the Space Development Agency over the last eight months; and with Wilson officially announcing plans to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/news\/your-air-force\/2019\/03\/08\/air-force-secretary-wilson-resigning\/\" target=_blank>leave the Pentagon in May<\/a>, some wondered if her comments would entirely line up with Shanahan\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While not directly countering anything Shanahan said, Wilson used her speech to hype the work of the service\u2019s Space and Missile Systems Center, whose future is somewhat uncertain under the Pentagon\u2019s tripartite space plan. She also warned against centralizing control over acquisition, noting that acquisition reform is something on which she has focused during her time in the service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s a lot harder to do it than talk about it,\u201d Wilson said to applause. \u201cThe Air Force is doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wilson also talked up the Space Force \u2014 which will at least for now live under the Air Force \u2014 and Space Command, without mentioning the Space Development Agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, she did say an Air Force study has found that \u201cincreasing the numbers of satellites helps, but numbers alone are not enough,&#8221; in what may have been a swipe at the SDA\u2019s plan for a major constellation in low-Earth orbit. Later, again without naming the SDA, Wilson described a plan similar to the SDA\u2019s and said it would \u201cresult in failure on America\u2019s worst day if we rely upon\u201d that plan alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe analysis shows that clearly,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Should members of Congress target on that potential split, Thursday\u2019s hearing could become a can\u2019t-miss event for Pentagon watchers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At a time when the Pentagon is heavily focused on space, this week stands out as a potential landmark in how the department will organize its approach to the war-fighting domain.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":44203,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":23,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"2":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"},"4":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"}}},"categories":[160,29,163,36,19,23,102],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3378],"class_list":["post-21434","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-digital-show-dailies","category-military-space-report","category-newsletters","category-pentagon","category-space","category-space-symposium"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"RU7ZUDXDFFC6DIX5PQHKNL6FUE","arc_canonical_url":"\/space\/2019\/04\/09\/welcome-to-the-pentagons-space-week-will-it-define-the-departments-future-in-orbit\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Welcome to the Pentagon\u2019s \u2018Space Week.\u2019 Will it define the department\u2019s future in orbit? - Defense News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"At a time when the Pentagon is heavily focused on space, this week stands out as a potential landmark in how the department will organize its approach to the war-fighting domain.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Welcome to the Pentagon\u2019s \u2018Space Week.\u2019 Will it define the department\u2019s future in orbit?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"At a time when the Pentagon is heavily focused on space, this week stands out as a potential landmark in how the department will organize its approach to the war-fighting domain.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2019\/04\/09\/welcome-to-the-pentagons-space-week-will-it-define-the-departments-future-in-orbit\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Defense News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-04-09T15:46:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-07T21:56:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Aaron Mehta\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Aaron Mehta\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" 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