Key Takeaways:
Leadership Evolution and Growth: Focuses on transitioning from individual to team-centric leadership, embracing increasing responsibilities, and fostering a robust organizational culture.
Strategic Focus on National Security: Emphasizes responding to global security threats, prioritizing combat readiness, and enhancing operational efficiency through advanced technology.
Commitment to Training and Collaboration: Highlights the importance of comprehensive training for a unified military force and the value of inter-service learning and collaboration.
Operational Excellence: Stresses combat readiness and operational efficiency, integrating advanced training to address global security challenges and enhance mission command readiness.
Future-Oriented Strategic Vision: Advocates for surpassing current threats with innovative capabilities, employing advanced technology for efficiency, and emphasizes long-term strategic planning and collaboration across services
SWT with Lt Gen David Miller, Commander, Space Operations Command, United States Space Force
January 25, 2024
Leadership and Personal Development:
On Changing Perspectives and Responsibilities:
-Shift from Individual to Team Focus: “At that point your perspective changes, it’s not an ‘I’ anymore, it’s a ‘We’.”
-Reflecting on Responsibility: “As you get more and more responsibility, sometimes you need to refresh on why we do what we do.”
Organizational Development and Culture:
On Challenges in Establishing a New Service and Cultural Development:
-Recognizing Establishment Difficulties: “I’m sure others outside the service may be underestimated how difficult it is to establish a new service.”
-Establishing a Baseline Culture: “…the Baseline is already starting to be established and now we just need to turn it into habit as opposed to practice.”
National and Global Security Challenges:
On Responding to International Threats:
-Recognizing Threats: “There were probably two key events in the threat space, one generated from the PRC… and one from Russia.”
-Response to Security Challenges: “I am and have been more and more encouraged about our response and our capability development to counter challenges like that.”
On Adapting to Global Security Threats:
-Awareness of Threats: “In the future and today when you see the threats like I talk to you about from Russia and some of the odd orbit threats they’ve had as they develop…”
-Need for Strategic Adaptation: “The only way we’re going to get to Readiness is if we provide a unity of command over all of the elements of readiness.”
-Global Concerns and Deterrence: “…really the global concerns we have with Russia or China and the need to try to deter any conflict in either area.”
-Addressing Global Needs: “There are a number of those missions that are globally provided that every combatant Commander benefits from.”
Space Operations Command Focus:
On Command Priorities and Strategic Focus:
-Command Focus: “Our focus in Space Operations Command is building space Power for America.”
-Evolving Combat Capabilities: “I would say it’s to generate and improve combat-ready space Power.”
-Emphasizing Technological Advancements: “I am the combat forces proponent for the United States space force… We have today what general assessment wants to be the missionary proponents within the space force.”
Strategic Planning and Vision:
On the Future Vision & Organizational Expansion
-Strategic Planning: “What we have not stepped up to yet because we are in establishment mode of the service but we’re now as general Saltzman turns us into a fully capable military service.”
-Organizational Expansion: “We need to start providing an assessment of the options, the coordination, and the sourcing of that combat power.”
Operational Readiness and Integration:
On Mission Integration and Command Efficiency:
-Future Vision for Mission Deltas: “We are finalizing those recommendations now and I think over the next weeks and months those decisions will come out.”
-Force Development and Capability Enhancement: “…our acquisition and operations communities will be integrated in a way that they have never done before.”
-Unified Command for Multiple Missions: “There are enduring missions… it is best for both Effectiveness and efficiency to operate them largely out of one command.”
Training and Skill Development for Readiness:
On Advancing Training and Skills Development:
Comprehensive Training Approach: “…where do those requirements come from… some of them will come from me that I see a change in the horizon, a threat, a concern about modernization.”
-Building a Unified Front: “Retooling our initial training our initial skills training for our Guardians, making sure that everybody understands all of the core mission sets that we have inside of our Force.”
-Anticipated Changes and Developments: “I think you’re going to see some significant changes just in this in 2024 alone that will solidify that Baseline Warrior culture.”
-Collaboration with Starcom: “We rely on starcom to… build out live virtual and constructive opportunities.”
Combat Preparedness and Responsiveness:
Prioritizing Combat Power and Responsiveness:
-Focus on Combat Power: “…it’s going to take time to get to a fully combat-ready force that is focusing on improving our combat power.”
-Prioritizing Readiness and Sustainment: “…she or he must also own the resourcing of the sustainment of that…”
-Addressing Modern Threats and Challenges: “I see a change in the horizon, a threat, a concern about modernization.”
-Adaptability to Changing Threats: “We have a requirement to ensure that as that threat changes… we are cycling in combat-ready forces who are trained to that new standard.”
Role Differentiation and Efficiency:
On Clarifying Development and Execution Roles:
“One of the best things we could do was to separate those hats that have one command singularly focused on generating and improving combat-ready power.”
Fostering a Unified Military Culture:
On Cultivating a Warrior Spirit and Cross-Service Learning:
-Valuing Contributions from All Services: “I really value their opinion and perspective; we want to learn and take the best of from all of the services.”
-Building a Warrior Culture: “…where the warrior culture is at the tip of the spear that has to be clear as day to them of what their expectations are today.”
Prioritizing Future Capabilities and Addressing Capability Gaps:
On the Focus on Immediate Operational Needs and Combat Power Generation:
-Immediate Operational Priorities: “My focus is the next 3 years in those first two hats of being the guy who generates combat power and the guy who provides that combat power to the combat commanders and the other services.”
-Addressing Current Requirements: “…our biggest need is now and those things that I talk to you about are going to yield the most benefits.”
-Focusing on Future Needs: “I’m not going to get into a discussion about where I see capability gaps. What I will say is we’ve got some priorities that we need to focus on because I’m not interested in just pacing the threat, I want to exceed.”
On Long-Term Planning and Research and Development:
Long-Term Vision: “In my proponency hat, I’m willing to think longer term and try to focus on what the future end state looks like.”
Tailoring R&D Efforts: “…and then tailor our research and development efforts in partnership with the other commanders to get there.”
On Incorporating Advanced Technology in Operations:
On Leveraging Technology for Efficiency:
-I don’t want to be in a position where we are asking Guardians to do work that automation or other tools can do for them more quickly.
-Streamlining Operations: “There are other missions that we do pnt and we’ve been providing that capability. The Joint Force literally one of the first missions we started doing in space.”
-Implementing AI and Automation: “So I want to speed in whether it’s machine learning, automation, or where the appropriate artificial intelligence into our tactical operational units…”