Department of Defense

For decades, the world has enjoyed the freedom to operate in space, and today, billions of people worldwide rely on space-based capabilities. ”Yet we now find that space has become highly contested, and the gains the United States possesses are threatened,” Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper said at the U.S. Space Command change-of-command ceremony in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Army Gen. James H. Dickinson succeeded Space Force Gen. John W. ”Jay” Raymond as Spacecom commander, the 11th and newest DOD combatant command. Raymond, the chief of space operations, had also led Spacecom since its inception.

”[As] we continue to push the limits of science and innovation, we recognize that our competitors are seeking new ways to exploit our systems and to undermine our military advantage,” Esper said. ”We know, for example, that China and Russia are weaponizing space through the development of anti-satellite missiles, directed energy, weapons and more — all designed to hold the United States and allied space systems at risk. They have turned a once peaceful arena into a warfighting domain.”

Click here to read the full article.