Policy Paper Release: Winds of Change: Environmental Monitoring for an Era of Peer Competition

The Mitchell Institute’s Aerospace Nation Podcast

The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies invites you to listen to the rollout of our newest policy paper: Winds of Change: Environmental Monitoring for an Era of Peer Competition by Tim Ryan, Senior Fellow for Spacepower Studies, Mitchell Institute Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence (MI-SPACE) .

The discussion was joined by Col Patrick C. Williams, Director of Weather, U.S. Air Force, and Lt Col Joseph L. Maguadog, Materiel Leader, EO/IR Weather Systems, Space Systems Command. The discussion was moderated by Gen Kevin P. Chilton, USAF (Ret.), Explorer Chair, MI-SPACE.

The U.S. military requires a more effective, reliable, and resilient space-based environmental monitoring (SBEM) capability. The ability to employ forces, launch munitions, and coordinate actions in the terrestrial battlespace depends on environmental conditions. However, the weather mission is often taken for granted, and the current space-based weather satellites are old, fragile, and in dire need of reset. This report explores the SBEM mission, explains the Space Force’s future vector, and discusses how new mission demands, like JADC2, are impacting this undertaking.