US Space Force personnel planned mock missions and simulated space combat operations that could be used in a real conflict during the two-day exercise.
Space Force Guardians from the 392nd Combat Training Squadron recently completed Space Flag 23-1, the branch’s first program to “exercise combat tactics in a US-European Command scenario,” according to a statement issued by Space Training and Readiness Command, or STAR Command, the service’s education, training, and testing component.
US Space Force personnel planned mock missions and simulated space combat operations that could be used in a real conflict during the two-day exercise. Space Force personnel trained alongside counterparts from Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom during the exercise at Schriever Space Force Base in Colorado, providing an opportunity to strengthen cooperation among the service’s allies.
“Nowhere else can the United States and Coalition forces train together with the specificity required to improve space combat tactics,” Schramm said in a statement. “We will fight as a coalition in space, and these opportunities are invaluable in building the team that will fight together if the need arises.”
The Space Flag 23-1 simulated European conflict occurs in the midst of a real conflict in Eastern Europe as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues. Throughout the war, satellites operated by the United States and its commercial partners have provided intelligence and communications for Ukrainian forces.
While it is unclear what types of “space combat tactics” were used in Space Flag 23-1, previous US Space Force training exercises have been held in recent months to build expertise in “space domain awareness, intelligence, warning and surveillance, navigation warfare, orbital warfare, and satellite communications.”
The United States US, Space Force is preparing for a possible European conflict. Members of the 392d Combat Training Squadron pose for a group photo with SPACE FLAG 23-1 participants on December 5, 2022, at Schriever Space Force Base in Colorado.
SpaceX’s Starlink satellites have been at the forefront of this effort, providing critical internet access for Ukrainian forces’ communications after Russian attacks destroyed most of the country’s existing infrastructure.
Russia has stated that commercial satellites may become a “legitimate target” for its forces in military conflicts in response to the widespread use of Starlink satellites. In response, the White House stated that “any attack on US infrastructure will be met with a response at a time and in a manner of our choosing.”
Russia has even conducted signal jamming and cyber attacks on Starlink satellites, which is exactly the type of event to which Space Force Guardians may be called in the event of a military conflict.
As anti-satellite capabilities proliferate around the world, the Space Force’s mission is becoming increasingly important to US military operations. These include destructive anti-satellite missiles, laser “dazzlers” that can blind satellite optics, and a variety of methods to jam satellites’ transmissions.