Featured Speaker

The second day of the Strategic Space and Defense 2008 conference opened with a speech by Mr. Gary Payton. From his perspective as Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force, Space Programs, he was able to offer an overview of some of the key space concerns of the Air Force. These generally fall into the broad category of "space protection," which includes the ability to deter attacks, defend space systems, and reconstitute capabilities if necessary. Payton acknowledged the growing threats to U.S. military operations, both from potential adversaries and from space debris. One of the key tasks set forth for the Air Force is to develop the ability to perform lifelong tracking of space objects instead of cataloguing and periodically revisiting the ones that have been found. The increased reliance of U.S. forces on space systems makes it imperative that investments be made to provide national security space operators with the tools they need to actively defend critical space assets.