U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, questioned witnesses this morning at a SASC hearing on the proposal to establish a U.S. Space Force.

Witnesses included: Secretary Patrick Shanahan, Acting Secretary of Defense; Secretary Heather Wilson, Secretary of the Air Force; General Joseph Dunford, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and General John Hyten, Commander, U.S. Strategic Command.

Click to watch Sen. Inhofe’s remarks. 

Remarks:

Inhofe: In my opening statement, I talked about – I had a couple questions that never have been answered to my satisfaction. Forgetting about the cost thing, because we pretty much established at least an opinion as to what it’s going to cost, but I have essentially the same question worded a little bit differently to each one of our witnesses, so I’d like to ask you to respond to this question. First of all, Secretary Shanahan, I agree with when you often say the United States’ margin of dominance in space is diminishing, but my question to you, a direct question, is how will establishing a space force help the United States reestablish its war-fighting dominance?

Shanahan: Thank you, Chairman, the fix, I think what you’re really speaking to is, how do we expand that margin. Our proposal addresses all of the changes that are occurring simultaneously in space. To set up the answer, these are the significant changes we have to address. The environment is contested. We’re about to modernize—for the first time in about 30 years—modernize the Department, so how do we incorporate all the modernization and address this very different environment, which is a binary change from the past. As we broke down the problem, we said the fastest way to do this—and it’s all about speed to expand our margin—is to compartmentalize the problem into three areas. The first was make sure we have war-fighting operations so that we can operate in a contested environment –

Inhofe: Quickly now.

Shanahan: The second was make sure that we have the doctrine and the training so that we can equip our forces with the right space cadre. And lastly, how do we acquire and develop the right system?

Inhofe: So you assume that we’re going to do a better job with a space force than we’re doing right now in those three areas. Thank you very much. Secretary Wilson, given your experience, which is vast, can you provide your assessment as to how the proposal will better organize, train and equip space forces compared to the present mission of the Air Force command today?

Wilson: Mr. Chairman, I agree with General Hyten that the most important step that Congress has already taken and the President has put into action, which is a Unified Combatant Command for war-fighting. But I do think there is an opportunity to align defense space programs in a space force underneath the Air Force, including acquisition. And I think that that alignment will help.

Inhofe: OK, that’s a good answer. General Hyten, through your role as Commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, you are currently the nation’s most qualified expert in war-fighting, in space war-fighting. Can you identify, differentiate between the missions of the U.S. Space Command, the Unified Combatant Command, and the service mission as proposed in the hearing today?

General Hyten: Yes, Chairman, the structure is basically built around the same structure we have in all our combatant commands. The way our military is organized is, we have combatant commands that fight our forces, they fight our battles, they win our wars, they conduct strategic deterrence, all the mission are executed through our combatant commands. The new U.S. Space Command will execute the space mission through the combatant command of U.S. Space Command. But the services organize, train and equip forces for those commands. So the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines builds, organizes, trains and equips forces for the Unified Combatant Commanders. The space force will do that for the Space Command and for the joint force at large. That’s the difference between the two.

Inhofe: Alright, well that’s a very good, specific answer. General Dunford, you’re a warfighting Marine, so you have a different perspective than some of the rest of them do on this panel. Do you believe establishing a Space Force will contribute to the development of a space war-fighting ethos and culture that does not exist already today?

General Dunford: Chairman, first I’d say I think we do have a good culture in the Air Force, and again we are the best in space, but I also believe an organization that has a leadership team and people that are singularly focused on a single core competency, that being space, will contribute to culture but more importantly will contribute to a focus in those areas that Secretary Shanahan, Secretary Wilson and General Hyten highlighted.

Inhofe: That’s good. Thank you very much.

Click to watch Sen. Inhofe’s introduction.