Titled "Toward Integrated Defense in Space," Saltzman's address began with a discussion on the current model of nuclear strategic deterrence using a historical anecdote referencing an early military use of the concept in western civilization: Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War.
"In the 'History of the Peloponnesian War,' Thucydides describes no less than 10 uses of what he calls a deterrence strategy, and that was in the conflict between Athens and Sparta," Saltzman said. "Aside from one partial exception, they all fail spectacularly. In fact, in most cases, they primarily serve to provoke the exact behavior they were meant to prevent."
Saltzman stated that although these early military deterrence strategies were largely unsuccessful, the concept has evolved greatly over time, culminating in a fundamental change with the development of nuclear strategic deterrence. He emphasized that nuclear deterrence has demonstrated robust effectiveness and is an important component of the U.S. National Defense Strategy, preventing Great Power Competitors from escalating conflicts to unrestricted warfare. However, he continued, by its nature, nuclear deterrence as a military strategy has limited utility in application against other real and potentially damaging threats.
Now, aggressors are developing new methods, employing limited, asymmetric and hybrid warfare in efforts to erode the established international order, including in the space domain, Salzman described. He urged air and space military service chiefs to focus on developing the specific military capabilities needed, in support of their national security apparatuses, that 'protect and defend' against these aggressions.
"Over the course of my career, I have come to the conclusion that deterrence is really a term of policy best used to capture an ideal outcome of grand strategy; this is why I believe Integrated Deterrence is a valuable and worthy approach in the U.S.'s National Defense Strategy," Saltzman said. "Our NDS describes it as a weaving together of capabilities and concepts with those of our international and interagency partners to dissuade aggression."
He went on to describe high-level capabilities the U.S Space Force is currently providing in this effort and how the service is integrating with others around the world.
"The United States is proud to be part of an ever-growing group of allies and partners - many of them in the room today - a group of partners that are all working together to increase resiliency, redundancy and interoperability of all space-based capabilities to enhance our collective security," Saltzman said. "If we do this right, the net result is a condition of deterrence that maintains a safe, secure, and stable international environment, which is the ultimate goal of our national security policy."
Concluding his keynote, Saltzman advocated for a shift in perspective related to the current model of military deterrence.
"In the end, what I'm advocating for here is a change in focus and a clarification of thought," Saltzman said. "Deterrence is the rightful and worthy province of our civil and political leaders, and we must stand ready to support it. To do that effectively, I propose we design our forces and orchestrate our activities around military functions like 'protect' and 'defend,' which we can more tangibly pursue, rather than 'deterrence,' which is a more nebulous and complex concept."
Following his keynote, Saltzman was joined by Australian Army Maj. Gen. Gregory Novak, Australian Space Command commander, and British Army Maj. Gen. Paul Tedman, U.K. Space Command commander, for a panel discussion with the audience, diving deeper into deterrence and integrated defense concepts.
"Recognizing that the Space Force is going to be wholly reliant on powerful partnerships, whether it's commercial industry, whether it's academia, the science and technology community, whether it's our allies and international partners, being integrated by design is fundamental to how I see success," Saltzman said.
On the periphery of the conference, Saltzman also engaged directly with defense officials from allied and partner nations, including a meeting with U.K. Royal Air Force Air and Space Commander Air Marshall Allan Marshall and Novak to discuss the ongoing AUKUS security partnership. Additionally, Saltzman met with Tedman, discussing U.K. space power priorities and U.S. Space Force efforts to reoptimize for Great Power Competition.
Later the same day, Saltzman joined U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin in signing a shared vision statement with RAF Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton with an intent to further strengthen, integrate and accelerate the existing bilateral partnership in air and space between the U.S. and U.K. The statement is an update to an original version signed in 2021, which focused on collaboration over three lines of effort: operational harmonization, capabilities integration and systems resilience.
Throughout the trip, Saltman was aided by Air Marshal Paul Godfrey, an RAF officer recently assigned to the senior U.S. Space Force staff as the Assistant Chief of Space Operations for Future Concepts and Partnerships. In this role, Godfrey is responsible for integrating allies and partners within the U.S. Space Force's capability development strategy.
Saltzman's trip to the UK yielded multiple opportunities for partnership development and collaboration with some of the U.S.'s closest allies. It also provided a platform in front of international military and industry leaders to convey a shared vision of defense in the interest of freedom and security in, from and to space.
Related Links
U.S. Space Force
Military Space News at SpaceWar.com
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