AURORA, Colo. — The U.S. Space Force’s primary mission is to establish and maintain control of the space domain, a responsibility critical to national defense, the service’s top general said Monday at the 2025 Air and Space Forces Association Warfare Symposium.
Gen. Chance Saltzman, chief of space operations, emphasized the importance of “space control,” a new core function aimed at ensuring space superiority through orbital warfare, electromagnetic warfare, and counterspace operations. “It is the purpose of the Space Force to achieve space superiority,” Saltzman said.
While no conflict has yet occurred in space, Saltzman said the force must prepare for future engagements. He called on Space Force personnel, known as guardians, to enhance their readiness despite current limitations in training resources. “If advanced training is nothing more than a whiteboard session, talking about tactics and threats, it’s fine. It’s not perfect, but it’s better than nothing,” he said.
Saltzman also urged guardians to provide detailed assessments of their equipment needs to ensure the Space Force’s budget accurately reflects operational requirements. “The headquarters can’t fix problems it doesn’t know about,” he said.