U.S. SPACECOM achieves IOC as officials stress focus on space for security

Aug. 25 (UPI) -- The head of U.S. Space Force says the nascent military branch has grown into a "warfighting force" after meeting key milestones.

Army Gen. James Dickinson, U.S. Space Command commander, said in a press release that the command has achieved initial operational capability on Monday, two years after it was founded.

"Simply put -- U.S. Space Command is ready to deter conflict, and if necessary, defeat aggression and, along with allies and partners, defend our vital interests in the space domain," Dickinson said in the statement.

He pointed to multiple accomplishments leading to the command's initial operational capability, including building its headquarters, publishing strategic documents, receiving components from five military services, participating in training exercises and standing up the Combined Forces Space Component Command and Joint Task Force-Space Defense.

The announcement came a day after Space Force activated its Space Training and Readiness Command, the branch's third and final field command, at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Two top Pentagon officials underscored the importance of space to national security and the role the still-evolving Space Force will play in speeches given on Tuesday.

"It is impossible to overstate the importance of space-based systems to national security," Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said in a keynote address at the 36th Space Symposium, according to a Pentagon press release.

He said securing access to space is essential to allowing many everyday functions.

Gen. Jay Raymond, chief of space operations, said in a speech at the symposium that the number of active satellites in orbit has gone from 2,100 in 2019 to 4,900 today.

While the number of satellites has doubled, he said Russia and China have built "an entire spectrum of threats" that include "reversible jammers" and ground-based laser systems capable of blinding or damaging satellites.

Likening the challenges from the two countries to the Cold War, he said "a strong deterrent is necessary to reduce the potential for a conflict that no one wants."

Raymond said that interest is high in Space Force, with 4,000 active-duty personnel from the Army, Navy and Marine Corps applying for 650 transfer spots.

For civilian jobs, 9,100 people applied for 70 positions at the headquarters.

Currently, Space Force is developing guidance for responsible behaviors in space, including operating professionally in regard to others, limiting debris, avoiding harmful interference, maintaining safe separation and trajectory and safety notifications.