VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFNS) — On Dec. 6, 2023, U.S. Area Forces – Area stood up because the Area Pressure Service Element to U.S. Area Command.
The activation of S4S was a part of U.S. Area Pressure’s plan to normalize the presentation of house forces throughout combatant instructions and most effectively meet the challenges offered by the dynamic nationwide safety setting and the return to Nice Energy Competitors.
“It’s the service part that writes ways, builds CONOPs [Concept of Operations], and positive factors and maintains house superiority,” stated Chief of Area Operations Gen. Probability Saltzman. “Guardians are warfighters, not merely drive suppliers.”
Constructing out these ways, ideas and plans that allow the Area Pressure to achieve and keep house superiority takes effort and time, however the ladies and men of S4S have embraced the problem.
“S4S harnesses the collective experience of our army, civilians, and contractors to satisfy our warfighters’ wants, in addition to defend U.S. and allied pursuits,” stated Lt. Gen. Douglas Schiess, S4S commander and Mixed Joint Pressure Area Element commander. “Now we have grown, developed, and achieved exceptional success over the previous yr due to your efforts.”
One instance of the “exceptional success” the command has achieved is thru the codifying of the inaugural Joint Area Operations Plan.
“The JSOP was constructed to conduct globally built-in operations throughout all domains,” stated Lt. Col. Laurel Jodice, S4S Operational Planning director. “That is our plan for a way we are going to defend towards enemy actions and aggression in house; defend crucial U.S., allied, accomplice, and business house capabilities; and ship house capabilities and results in coordination with nationwide businesses, the Joint Pressure, allies and companions.”
This theme of “Defend – Defend – Ship” is central to all S4S actions, however via Schiess’s function because the CJFSCC, the command additionally serves as a connection level with inter-agency organizations, business mission companions, and coalition companions.
A serious milestone this yr has been the growth of the Division of Protection’s Operation Olympic Defender, which optimizes house operations, improves mission assurance and enhances collective resilience alongside collaborating nations.
Initially, allied participation in OOD was restricted to Australia, Canada and the UK. Nevertheless, in September of this yr, New Zealand introduced their intent to affix, with each France and Germany formally becoming a member of proper after in October via formal accession ceremonies.
Because the lead house operations integrators, it’s the accountability of S4S to make sure these new companions are meaningfully included in command processes.
“On 30 October, S4S carried out its first all-partners operations and intelligence transient,” stated Jared Renne, S4S Strategic Engagements Division chief. “Insights gained and operations coordinated by way of this discussion board will posture the U.S. house equipment to satisfy and overcome challenges posed in house by our adversaries and opponents, whereas attaining the intent of Operation Olympic Defender on behalf of the U.S. and our allies.”
Past coalition accomplice growth, S4S has additionally been increasing its community of business mission companions and adjusting the help given by operations as a way to make these partnerships extra significant and impactful.
“The Business Integration Cell operations staff on the CSpOC has reinvigorated efforts to operationalize the CIC functionality shifting it past the experimental idea from which it originated,” stated Australian Royal Air Pressure Group Captain Julien Greening, Mixed Area Operations Middle deputy director. “The CIC operations staff has grown to seven full-time army personnel together with U.S. Navy joint members and a Royal Canadian Air Pressure alternate officer. This numerous operations staff has labored to develop relationships with Business Mission Companions via collaborative engagements.”
This staff helps to help an increasing community of 15 corporations that allow real-time data movement on the top-secret stage to assist U.S. Area Command reply to house occasions and enhance Area Area Consciousness.
Though an enormous endeavor, these efforts to ‘Defend, Defend, Ship and Join’ are simply scratching the floor of all S4S has completed within the command’s first yr.
In a message to the drive, Schiess outlined a number of different accomplishments together with the primary OOD Area Area Consciousness Idea of Operations, help to quite a lot of inter-agency, joint, business and coalition led workout routines, the implementation of a mixed Nationwide Area Protection Middle and Mixed Area Operations Middle Grasp Area Plan, the monitoring of a 320% uptick in missile exercise with 100% validation for all missile warning occasions, and the demonstration of recent navigation warfare methods to help drive safety for U.S. and allied forces.
Schiess additionally expressed a want to proceed the momentum of this primary yr into the longer term via the implementation of a strategic imaginative and prescient and imaginative and prescient assertion.
Strategic Imaginative and prescient: S4S is optimized to conduct international mission operations in Nice Energy Competitors, possessing the partnerships, capabilities and authorities to offer dynamic, resolute help and guaranteed house superiority to the Joint Pressure throughout a number of theaters of operation and the power to make sure our freedom to function within the house area in protection of the nation, in addition to our allies and companions.
Imaginative and prescient Assertion: Assured international house results anytime, anyplace, whereas denying our adversaries the identical.
The strategic imaginative and prescient and imaginative and prescient assertion function “guiding rules that present goal, foresight, and course” Schiess stated. This, together with the Guardian values and superb posture S4S to proceed to be a frontrunner in integrating and innovating for operational success within the house area.
“This imaginative and prescient represents the command’s deliberate goal in Nice Energy Competitors, which presents unprecedented challenges in our nation’s historical past,” Schiess stated. “However it’s the personnel assigned to S4S that proceed to be the driving drive behind our accomplishments. It’s an honor to serve alongside so many devoted, exceptional people.”
