State of the Space Force
This transcript is made possible through the sponsorship of Schneider Electric
Maj. Gen. Doug Raaberg, USAF (Ret.):
Well, good morning Guardians and Airmen. Roughly a year ago, we kicked off our warfare symposium
here in the Colorado Rockies for the very first time. We also welcomed here on this very stage, our first
keynote speaker of the morning, General Chance Saltzman. General Saltzman took on the reign as chief
of Space operations and laid out his theory of success outlining competitive endurance. To face the
pacing threat, he has implemented a new system of space deltas and led the charge as Guardians
birthed a new mission statement "to secure our nation's interest in, from, and to space." As the Space
Force reached another milestone by celebrating their fourth birthday, we are eager to see how our CSO
will continue to lead Guardians in the fight to space superiority. Ladies and gentlemen, it is with great
honor that I present to you your Chief of Space Operations General “Salty” Saltzman, please.
Gen. Chance Saltzman:
Wow. Thank you, Doug. It's a kind introduction. Remember, it's Fat Tuesday, Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.
That's as big a threat today as China, China, China maybe, but... Sorry, Mr. Secretary. All right, thank you,
Doug, for that introduction. Thanks to AFA for continuing to support the department with events like
these. And Secretary Kendall, thank you for your continued leadership and vision in this time of
accelerated change. Your unwavering commitment to the Space Force's future has allowed us to stand
up new missions and build new partnerships to secure our nation's interests in, from, and to space.
General Allvin, I could not have asked for a better partner in the department, as you understand the
importance of the critical relationship between the Space Force and the Air Force. And you continue to
be a strong advocate for Guardians and Airmen. Thank you. And finally, to all the Guardians and Airmen
that are in attendance today, you all are the foundation for the success of the department as we
reoptimize our organizations to meet the challenges of great power competition.
And for the space power enthusiasts and history buffs in attendance, I will point out that it was this
week in 1957 that major General Bernard Schriever gave his famous space superiority speech at the first
ever Astronautics Symposium. Schriever, who was head of the Western Development Division, now
Space Systems Command, was charged with developing a workable ICBM. And unsurprisingly, his speech
dealt primarily with missiles. But he didn't stop there. Despite the fact that some leaders in the new Air
Force didn't want to distract from their primary air superiority mission, Schriever was a big believer in
speaking truth to power, and he firmly committed to lifting the veil of secrecy surrounding what he saw
as a very real struggle for space. "The compelling motive, he said, "for the development of space
technology is the requirement for national defense. In the long haul, our safety as a nation may depend
upon our achieving space superiority."
"Several decades from now," he said "the important battles may not be sea battles or air battles, but
space battles, and we should be spending a certain fraction of our national resources to ensure that we
do not lag in obtaining space supremacy." Time Magazine summed up General Schriever's sensational
remarks this way, The conquest of outer space appears right around the corner, and that corner must be
soon turned if the U.S. is to maintain its air supremacy." Now, the speech was very well received, in fact,
a little too well received in the view of some. Immediately after his speech, Schriever was told by the
Secretary of Defense to never use the word space again. That gag order lasted about eight months when
the Soviet Union launched Sputnik in October 4th, 1957 and the space race officially began. Today, the
space race that started in the 1950s has evolved into the immensely more complex great power
