Featured Speaker

Maj. Gen. Thomas Deppe spoke about three major concerns of Air Force Space Command: land-based strategic deterrence, space protection, and agile acquisition. The general is often faced with questions regarding whether we are too reliant on space and what would happen if/when we lose space capabilities. His response to these questions is that the U.S. military is not too reliant on space but the loss of space capabilities would create a backward time warp, reducing the precision and effectiveness of military operations.

Looking to the future, the Air Force needs more effective and focused investments in a sustainable industrial base. Efforts are under way to improve acquisition and to better define requirements. From an acquisition point of view, the Air Force does not need to confine itself to a block build approach - it can work more with the commercial sector. The key is to have good requirements and planning.