Air Force Space Command is at a turning point and “I want to turn back the clock to the 80s,” Gen. Kevin Chilton, head of Air Force Space Command, told attendees Friday at AFA’s Space Symposium in Los Angeles. Chilton explained that he believes that space efforts in the 1980s displayed “focus and intelligence.” The general noted that he has several priorities for the future, but has set as his chief goal to make AFSPC the premier organization for space acquisition and operations. Chilton said he wants AFSPC personnel and organizations “to become the acknowledged leaders and experts for the US in the 21st century.” He does not feel the command’s personnel are recognized for what they do.
Space Force leaders have touted their “surveillance-as-a-service" TacSRT program as a success story, leveraging commercial firms to deliver information to users on timelines far faster than typical space intelligence assets. Now, lawmakers want the service to put more heft behind the effort—starting with actually funding the program in fiscal 2026.