As Space plays a greater role in defense strategy, the United States military is working with international Allies and industry Partners to ensure the domain’s stability, Lt. Gen. Philip Garrant, commander, Space Systems Command (SSC), said during a January 2025 meeting of the National Space Club in Huntsville, Alabama.
Increased threats from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Russia demand rapid action to maintain space superiority, Garrant said.
“Unfortunately, the space domain has become congested and contested, more than ever before. The threat landscape is vastly different these days with our adversaries having realized the tactical advantage that space enables. China is no longer a future threat — they are a threat today,” he said. “The counter-space efforts by China and Russia not only put U.S. assets and capabilities at risk, but also those of commercial industry and our international Partners. Every single one of you in this room is a target, and the systems and capabilities that you rely on, or your companies provide, are a target. In times of conflict, our adversaries are not going to discriminate between military, commercial or allied systems. They are all targets.”
Garrant noted that the PRC has more than 1,000 satellites in orbit and has launched 200 in the past year alone. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Space Systems Department is investing heavily in counter-space capabilities “with the intent to present a serious threat to U.S. national security interests in, from, and to space,” Garrant said. Russia, which has one of the world’s largest space programs, is also seeking counter-space systems “to disrupt and degrade U.S. capabilities,” he added.
SSC, based at Los Angeles Air Force Base, California, is the U.S. Space Force field command responsible for understanding evolving threats and acquiring and delivering resilient war fighting capabilities in the space domain. The command is also responsible for launch, developmental testing, on-orbit checkout, sustainment and maintenance of Space Force systems.
The command was established in 1954 as the Western Development Division of the U.S. Air Force and charged with developing the nation’s first intercontinental ballistic missiles. The division held several names over the years and became a field command of the U.S. Space Force under its current name in 2021. In 2024, SSC supported 141 launches, including commercial and U.S. Department of Defense missions. International Partners include Japan and Norway.
Garrant became commander in December 2023. His service career includes the U.S. Air Force, National Security Agency, Missile Defense Agency and joint assignments in Afghanistan, Iraq, Qatar and the U.S.
The systems acquisition processes must be streamlined so that the U.S. can keep pace with strategic competitors, Garrant said. SSC has launched several commercial partnership initiatives through its Commercial Space Office, which works to accelerate commercial partnerships and capabilities delivery. The command also plans to open an innovation hub near Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, to work more closely with the Space Development Agency, Missile Defense Agency, the U.S. Army and industry Partners, he said.
“The nature of the strategic space environment has evolved and has grown increasingly complex. Our call to action at SSC is to close kill chains with next-generation space capabilities and finish the pivot toward a more resilient on-orbit posture,” Garrant said. “As the primary acquisition hub for the Space Force, SSC is charged with understanding the ever-evolving threat, delivering capabilities to counter it, and determining how to leverage those capabilities to maintain space dominance.”