We’re Good at Dots

April 18, 2006

The Defense Department wants to understand the “purpose and intent and capability” of objects in space, not just how many objects there are, said USAF Lt. Gen. Kevin Chilton, space and global strike component commander for US Strategic Command. Chilton told lawmakers that military space had a “good capability of being able to count the dots up there” but lacked capability to “divine intent.” To be able to determine purpose, said Chilton, DOD must increase its surveillance capability.

Related Content

X-37B Spaceplane Showed New Techniques in Latest Flight

March 7, 2025
X-37B, the Space Force’s secretive spaceplane, returned to Earth early March 7 after more than a year in orbit, touching down at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., the service announced on social media, saying the spacecraft “successfully deorbited and landed”...

Space Force Secretly Tested Sensors that Alert When China Is Watching

March 7, 2025
The Space Rapid Capabilities Office quietly launched prototype payloads on a satellite two years ago to help operators know when the spacecraft is being tracked by China’s space surveillance network—a capability the office is now exploring for the rest of the Space Force. 

WATCH: Going Deeper on the Significance of Space Warfighting

March 7, 2025
Space superiority emerged as a major theme of the 2025 AFA Warfare Symposium, and retired Space Force Col. Jennifer Reeves, now a senior fellow with the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, goes deeper on the significance of that theme and what it means moving forward for the Space Force.

WATCH: Taking Stock of Arctic Defense with Houston Cantwell

March 7, 2025
Air & Space Forces Magazine sat down with retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Houston “Slider” Cantwell, now a senior fellow with the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, at the AFA Warfare Symposium to talk about the his research and panel discussion on Arctic defense and how the U.S. is combatting…

Space Force Leaders Start Work on Golden Dome, See Massive Effort Ahead

March 6, 2025
The Space Force is playing a key role in planning for “Golden Dome,” President Donald Trump’s initiative for comprehensive air and missile defense of the homeland, leaders said this week. But actually building and fielding the ambitious idea will require a major concerted effort across the Pentagon and intelligence community.

Lockheed Offers a New Low-Cost Cruise Missile as Part of ‘High-Low Mix’

March 6, 2025
Lockheed Martin is offering a low-cost air vehicle it calls a flying "truck" that could be a cruise missile or sensor platform, intended to be the "low end" complement to the high-end JASSM/LRASM stealth cruise missiles, and help the Air Force achieve "affordable mass" in a future conflict..