In April this year, the US Air Force and the Space Force personnel tested the new system deployed by the Office of Space Rapid Capabilities.

Recently, Salzman, the head of the operations department of the US space force, revealed that the deployment mode of the US space force will undergo major changes. The service will promote the construction of dynamic space combat capability through a new space power generation mode to ensure asymmetric advantages in high-tech areas.

Launch a new model of power generation

Salzman referred to the new generation model of US space power, referring to the restructuring plan of the US Air Force. In the future, nine permanent Delta units of the US Space Force will alternately carry out deployment tasks while maintaining full time standby. The future headquarters official responsible for "force capability design" of the US Space Force said that by 2026, the US Space Force will complete the "merger" of space forces of other services and arms, and then the size of the permanent Delta force will double.

According to the new power generation mode, the power generation and mission deployment cycle of the US space force is 24 weeks, which is divided into three stages: preparation, readiness and deployment.

The preparation phase is 3 weeks in total. At this stage, under the guidance of the Space Training and Combat Readiness Command, the task force carries out professional training in combination with its own functions and tasks to ensure that its personnel have the basic skills and tactics required to complete the task. Five Delta units under the command of Space Training and Readiness Command will provide support for training. During this period, the 11th Delta Force, which is responsible for simulating the "Blue Army", will assess the ability level of the task force.

The ready phase is 6 weeks in total. The mission force will participate in exercises such as "Space Flag" and "Global Sentinel" at 10 bases under the jurisdiction of the Space Command, and the system will be tested to ensure that it reaches a high level of combat readiness.

The deployment time is 15 weeks. The task force is composed of multiple combat squadrons and combat contingents, which are deployed in actual combat or on standby. The main task of the combat squadron personnel is to operate the space weapon system at the rear station, while the combat contingent goes forward to support the joint force military operations.

Salzman said that this dynamic deployment can not only achieve the balance between "rest training combat", but also enable the troops to be integrated into the military joint operations under the task-based command and control. According to foreign media, the US Space Force imitated the Air Force's adjustment of combat deployment mode, aiming to accelerate the transition to dynamic space operations and significantly improve its combat capability.

Pilot "Dynamic Space Operations"

The 18th, 19th and 8th Delta forces were listed as the first pilot units of "dynamic space operations" by the US Space Force. Among them, the 18th Delta Force stationed at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio is mainly responsible for the National Space Intelligence Center, which is known as the "Space Intelligence Team". According to the plan, the force is mainly set up as a combat task force in the deployment phase, which is dynamically deployed to the headquarters in Europe and Asia Pacific to carry out space intelligence support tasks. Foreign media predict that the first US space combat task force will appear in the Asia Pacific region this summer to participate in activities such as the "Pacific Rim" exercise.

The 19th Delta Force is a space defense force, which is mainly responsible for Earth Moon space situational awareness, providing early warning information of aerospace threats, and adjusting spacecraft maneuver to avoid threats. In the ready phase, the force will conduct simulation training and participation assessment at the third space base and two permanent space launch bases under the Space System Command. In the deployment phase, the force will form combat squadrons, dynamically deploy them in the rear camps of the war zones, and carry out aerospace early warning and space weapon system operation and maintenance.

It is reported that the 18th and 19th Delta units of the US Space Force are full-time duty units and focus on intelligence support and situational awareness business. The US Space Force has chosen them as the entry point to promote the transformation work, showing its determination to move from fixed point to dynamic deployment.

The 8th Delta Force of the US Space Force, formerly known as the Naval Space Operations Center, will be transferred to the Space Force in 2022. Its main task is to implement space-based communication support and navigation warfare. Its 10th Space Operations Squadron normally undertakes overseas deployment tasks. Previously, it went to Okinawa, Japan for short-term deployment and space operations tests.

Seeking Asymmetric Force Advantage

Salzman said that the US space force launched the concept of dynamic space operations and tested new deployment models, aiming to build a resilient, prepared and reliable space force. In the face of external doubts about its lack of personnel, the US Space Force said to the outside world that it would absorb resources from other services and arms, coordinate commercial resources to fill vacancies, and at the same time, implement a full-time and part-time military service flow mechanism to ease personnel tensions.

In the recently concluded US ROK joint training, the US space force stationed in South Korea and the ROK air force space operations force formed a space wing to participate in the exercise, focusing on the exercise of aerospace situation awareness, precise aerial reconnaissance positioning and other courses. It is worth mentioning that the US participants took forward and rear interaction to carry out offensive and defensive actions, and to a certain extent, practiced the cooperative use of combat squadrons and combat contingents. The United States announced that it would jointly carry out such exercises with Japan and the Republic of Korea, focusing on space-based communication jamming, anti satellite operations and navigation warfare, to ensure asymmetric superiority in emerging fields.

The research laboratory of the US Space Systems Command also disclosed the ongoing research projects, including rapid launch, intelligent measurement and control, and "space refueling" technology. The first two technologies can improve the quality and efficiency of flexible deployment and enhance the flexibility of space forces; "Space refueling" will enhance orbital mobility and provide important technical support for "dynamic space operations".

Some analysts believe that the US space force will face financial pressure. According to the report, the budget of the US space force is still in the "big plate" of the air force budget, and there are many uncertainties about whether the funds will be available. At the same time, the generation of space capabilities follows the generation of air force capabilities, failing to touch the command system at a deeper level, or will cause problems in the internal coordination of the US military. (Liu Leina)

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