In its new role overseeing the nation’s network of missile-defense sensors, U.S. Space Command plans to make more efficient use of these assets, officials said June 7. Gordon White, Space Command’s deputy chief of global sensor management, said the recent realignment of responsibilities approved by President Biden in April is significant because it puts one command in charge of the sensors that track missiles and also threats in outer space. During a call with reporters, White and Col. Mark Cobos, deputy commander of the Joint Functional Component Command for Integrated Missile Defense, sought to clarify confusion over last week’s announcement that Space Command is taking over new missile defense responsibilities. Space Command, they stressed, is not getting in the business of responding to missile strikes or shooting them down. That remains the responsibility of regional military commands if an attack happens overseas, or of U.S. Northern Command if the United States were targeted. What is changing is the oversight and management of sensors used to detect missile launches and track vehicles in flight.
Full story : Space Command seeks more efficient use of space-tracking and missile sensors.
