{"id":62374,"date":"2026-11-01T11:49:50","date_gmt":"2026-11-01T11:49:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/conflicts\/62374\/"},"modified":"2026-11-01T11:49:50","modified_gmt":"2026-11-01T11:49:50","slug":"chief-of-space-operations-schiess-outlines-priorities-to-strengthen-space-force-combat-power-united-states-space-force-article-display-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/conflicts\/62374\/","title":{"rendered":"Chief of Space Operations Schiess outlines priorities to strengthen Space Force combat power > United States Space Force > Article Display"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n
\n NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. (AFNS) — \u00a0
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n\u00a0Chief of Space Operations Gen. Douglas Schiess<\/a> unveiled his priorities to strengthen Space Force combat power and highlighted Guardians\u2019 contributions to the Joint Force in a keynote address at the 2026 Air, Space & Cyber Conference<\/a>, Sept. 15. He outlined three lines of effort for his tenure: Forge the Guardian Ethos, Arm and Grow the Guardian Force, and Integrate Guardian Power at Scale.
\n <\/p>\n

This announcement came just twelve days after assuming responsibility as the Space Force\u2019s senior uniformed leader.<\/p>\n


\n <\/p>\n

Forge the Guardian Ethos <\/p>\n


\n <\/p>\n

Schiess described his first line of effort as the foundational priority, rooted in the Space Force\u2019s values of Character, Connection, Commitment and Courage. He stressed that every Guardian is a Guardian first\u2014before specializing as an acquirer, space operator, intelligence analyst or cyber operator.<\/p>\n


\n <\/p>\n

\u201cThe Space Force acts together as one Guardian team\u2014a military force uniquely trained and equipped to deliver unparalleled space warfighting advantage,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n


\n <\/p>\n

He then pointed to the inspiration provided by Space Force Military Training Instructors who train new recruits at Basic Military Training and to the youngest Guardians already operating at what was considered science fiction just a few years ago.<\/p>\n


\n <\/p>\n

Arm and Grow the Guardian Force <\/p>\n


\n <\/p>\n

As his second line of effort, Schiess said he remains focused on arming and growing the Guardian Force.<\/p>\n


\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n\u00a0 \u201cToday\u2019s advantage cannot be assumed for tomorrow. We face determined and credible adversaries who are building and fielding counterspace systems at incredible speeds to target directly the United States\u2019 space advantage,\u201d he said. \u201cThat is why we don\u2019t just monitor the domain. We stand ready to defend it.\u201d
\n <\/p>\n

Schiess echoed remarks by Department of the Air Force Secretary Troy Meink<\/a> on Monday, who acknowledged the Space Force has weapons in space.<\/p>\n


\n <\/p>\n

\u201cToday, Guardians operate on-orbit weapons that can defend the Joint Force against space-enabled attacks,\u201d Schiess said. \u201cWe will make disciplined and responsible choices about how we build and sustain our combat advantage, which means scaling our ability to respond to threats.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n <\/p>\n

He explained Space Force growth and acquisition transformation must happen with the right organizational structures and the authorities in place to acquire and deliver capabilities to the Joint Force.<\/p>\n


\n <\/p>\n

Schiess discussed a recent VICTUS HAZE mission that demonstrated the ability to launch and respond on-demand to an on-orbit threat in just 17 hours by working together with industry and across multiple acquisitions and operational Space Force units.<\/p>\n


\n <\/p>\n

\u201cSpace Systems Command<\/a>, our industry partners, and Combat Forces Command<\/a> proved to the world that if an adversary targets the United States Space Force, we have the capability to deliver a swift response and we are going to continue working on getting faster and faster,\u201d Schiess said.<\/p>\n


\n <\/p>\n

Integrate Guardian Power at Scale<\/p>\n


\n <\/p>\n

In his final line of effort, Schiess described the need for embedding Guardians on the frontlines and bringing space expertise directly into the Joint battlespace.<\/p>\n


\n <\/p>\n

He highlighted one Guardian\u2019s story, who deployed to the CENTCOM area of responsibility with the 42nd Electronic Warfare Detachment. Shortly after Operation Epic Fury began, she had to reconfigure her weapon system and conduct critical non-kinetic fires under missile attack, remaining at her console until ordered to safety.<\/p>\n


\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n \u201cOur components, notably at U.S. Central Command<\/a> and Space Command<\/a>, with support from components at European Command<\/a> and Pacific Command<\/a>, demonstrated that Guardians are not supporting from the sidelines as a \u2018nice to have.\u2019 We are delivering spacepower directly into the fight as a \u2018need to have.\u2019\u201d
\n <\/p>\n

Looking ahead, Schiess stressed the need for a sustained pipeline of trained Guardians equipped with advanced capabilities, so combatant commanders can rely on space expertise at home and abroad.<\/p>\n


\n <\/p>\n

He underscored support for Guardian families, stating that he and his wife, Debbie, are committed to addressing stress points and strengthening support networks.<\/p>\n


\n <\/p>\n

\u201cWe are fully committed to finding the solutions,\u201d he said. \u201cWe want Guardians to step into the fight with absolute confidence knowing that our families are taken care of and secure.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n <\/p>\n

Schiess closed by reiterating the ultimate goal of deterring conflict.<\/p>\n


\n <\/p>\n

\u201cDeterrence is strongest when we have a credible force and the resolve to use it. That is what the Space Force brings to you\u2026by delivering space superiority and by ensuring we get after our nation\u2019s interests in, from and to space.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n <\/p>\n

Read Gen Schiess\u2019s full remarks here.<\/a><\/p>\n


\n
\n <\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"USSF\"<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n


\n
\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. (AFNS) — \u00a0 …\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":23401,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[2111,594,595,2646,1083,4647],"class_list":["post-62374","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-military-defense","tag-force","tag-space","tag-space-force","tag-u-s-space-force","tag-us-space-force","tag-ussf"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@conflicts\/117541039374968018","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/conflicts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62374","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/conflicts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/conflicts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/conflicts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/conflicts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62374"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/conflicts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62374\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/conflicts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23401"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/conflicts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62374"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/conflicts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62374"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/conflicts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62374"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}