U.S. Special Operations command to develop space capabilities like its own satellite sensor payloads
MacDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – The need for U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) to rely on existing space-based capabilities while developing its own has increased in recent years, especially as SOCOM expands its focus from the counter-terrorist fight to a near-peer competition, experts say. C4ISRnet reports. Continue reading original article
The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:
26 June 2020 -- SOCOM’s space efforts run the gamut from leveraging existing capabilities from other services to developing its own cubesats and hosted satellite payloads to put on orbit.
The command’s increased attention on space is part of a broader effort across the Department of Defense. In 2019, the department began a significant reorganization to focus more on space, standing up the Space Development Agency, reestablishing U.S. Space Command, and forming the U.S. Space Force.
As those organizations continue to develop over the next few years, SOCOM will determine where they fit into the broader U.S. military efforts in space.
Related: Technology and politics of the new U.S. Space Force
John Keller, chief editor
Military & Aerospace Electronics
