AURORA, Colo. — Leaders from U.S. Space Force Combat Forces Command (CFC) praised their Guardians’ forward momentum and ever-increasing combat readiness throughout multiple discussion panels the Air and Space Forces Association’s Warfare Symposium in Aurora, Colo., Feb. 23-25, 2026.
The Space Force We Need: Delivering a Combat-Ready Force in an Evolving Operational Environment
U.S. Space Force Lt. Gen. Gregory Gagnon, CFC commander, teamed with Lt. Gen. Douglas Schiess, Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Operations, for a panel that focused on the needs of the service and what leaders need from Guardians to meet and exceed the threat.
“We have to transform from a herbivore to a carnivore,” Gagnon declared, citing CFC’s motto, “Semper Venator,” which means Always the Hunter.
“Hunters eat, right? We seek to provide the ability to control our domain so that we can unlock the greatness of the joint force and the greatness of our coalition partners,” said Gagnon. “We cannot cede space to a very aggressive meat-eating PLA [People’s Liberation Army] aerospace force.”
Gagnon echoed Space Force senior leaders, saying that the Space Force must essentially double in size in the near future.
“I need you to be fit,” said Gagnon to the Guardians in attendance. “What most people don’t know is not every Guardian employs in Colorado. In fact, we have sensors in place on every continent of the planet except Antarctica.”
“We have squadrons dispersed around the world. We have Guardians deployed in every joint combat formation that goes forward,” explained Gagnon, stressing the need to be fit in order to operate in austere environments. “You will go forward in mission areas such as intelligence, and you’ll be running vans with barbed wire fences around them.”
Gagnon also praised the achievements of U.S. Space Force Capt. Olivia Lane of Mission Delta 4 as an example of the qualities he’s looking for in the force. Lane played a key role in providing missile warning during Iran’s recent missile attack against Israel, and then took the initiative to rework procedures, speeding up the missile warnings by more than 80%.
For more on Capt. Olivia Lane’s accomplishments, follow the link below:
Seconds Matter: Guardian on the Missile Warning Front Line
Moving Target Indications from Space
Lt. Gen. Gagnon also updated the forum on the progress made of space-based Moving Target Indicators (MTI), where Space Force Guardians will take an increasing role in tracking ground and air targets for the Joint Force. The Space Force is taking on the mission partly due to the increased vulnerability of air-based systems like the E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System, or J-STARS.
“Controlling the high ground has profound impact on the outcomes of war, but that high ground is no longer the air,” declared Gagnon.
Sharing the stage with representatives from the National Reconnaissance Office and the Space Development Agency, Gagnon explained that moving the MTI mission to orbit will be a monumental change in size and scope, providing 24/7 coverage in multiple regions around the globe, while air-based platforms were limited in number and could only provide coverage for hours at a time.
According to Gagnon, the Space Force is now moving from planning to the implementation stage, with a whole squadron already dedicated to the effort and multiple partnerships with other organizations ongoing.
“In 30 years, the surety of global moving target engagement delivered by your Space Force will be as certain as Missile Warning and PNT [Position, Navigation and Timing],” said Gagnon. “I don’t think it’s going to take 30 years, either.”
Generating EW Effects
U.S. Space Force Col. Angelo Fernandez, commander of Mission Delta 3 – Electromagnetic Warfare, while moderating panel a discussion, said his formation’s efforts at stepping up training and links with the Joint Force are making a significant impact on world events.
“I’ve seen a fundamental transformation within just the Space Force of us getting postured for today’s modern environment, and it’s translated into operational success,” said Fernandez, citing the key role Electromagnetic Warfare Guardians played in both Operation Midnight Hammer last year and the recent Operation Absolute Resolve in Venezuela.
The discussion with two industry leaders also covered the ways EW crosses over into all operational domains, EW lessons learned from ongoing conflicts in the world and how the military is partnering with industry to adapt technology more quickly to outpace potential adversaries.
Overall, the messaging was clear, Space Force is expanding global missions and readiness to ensure dominance in an increasingly contested space domain.
By Dave Grim, USSF CFC Public Affairs
USSF Combat Forces Command
