{"id":59344,"date":"2018-07-12T12:30:57","date_gmt":"2018-07-12T12:30:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2018\/07\/12\/top-us-air-force-general-has-a-space-based-proposal-for-allies\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T00:25:47","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T00:25:47","slug":"top-us-air-force-general-has-a-space-based-proposal-for-allies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/digital-show-dailies\/riat\/2018\/07\/12\/top-us-air-force-general-has-a-space-based-proposal-for-allies\/","title":{"rendered":"Top US Air Force general has a space-based proposal for allies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

LONDON \u2014 During his meeting with international air chiefs this week, the U.S. Air Force\u2019s top general plans to pitch his counterparts on the idea of an air chiefs conference centered around joint war fighting in space<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The event would be tied to Space Symposium,<\/a> which is held every spring in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the home of U.S. Air Force Space Command.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m looking at the possibility. We\u2019ll sort of gauge the interest,\u201d Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Dave Goldfein<\/a> told Defense News during an exclusive July 10 interview ahead of the Royal International Air Tattoo, which kicks off July 13.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more about the Royal International Air Tattoo 2018 here! <\/b><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Goldfein\u2019s pitch is somewhat unusual, as meetings of international air chiefs typically revolve around the more traditional domain of air operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Goldfein said the explosive growth in the commercial space industry makes it the right time for military leaders to figure out whether they have shared goals when it comes to military space \u2014 and how to telegraph those interests to companies hungry to do innovative work in the defense sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s huge opportunity ahead for us as we look to leverage where industry is going with this lower-cost access to space because you have more access to economical launch and you\u2019ve got payloads that are coming down in size,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going from school buses to suitcases, and the combination of those two factors is making space profitable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Goldfein has been a strong proponent of increasing interoperability among U.S. Air Force assets, the rest of the U.S. services, and the nation\u2019s allies and partners. Figuring out how to integrate the space domain into wider Air Force strategy has been a key part of that discussion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The proposed event comes at a time when the Air Force ownership of the space mission is in flux. President Donald Trump announced in June his intention for the Defense Department to break space operators into their own separate service \u2014 a space force<\/a> that would be \u201cseparate but equal\u201d to the Air Force.<\/p>\n\n\n\t