Space increasingly becoming a warfighting domain, says Space Force chief nominee
By Cristina Stassis
Jul 16, 2026, 06:43 PM
U.S. Space Force Lt. Gen. Douglas A. Schiess answers questions during the Guardian Path series at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, May 30, 2025. (David Dozoretz/U.S. Space Force)
The ability to fight and maintain superiority in the space domain is becoming increasingly essential to deterrence on Earth as adversaries continue to target space as a first in conflicts globally, say lawmakers and Lt. Gen. Douglas A. Schiess, the U.S. Space Force chief candidate.
Military conflicts, especially the war in Iran, have “tested” the Space Force substantially for the past five months, Senate Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Sen. Jack Reed, D-RI, said Thursday in a hearing to discuss the nomination of Schiess to be the third-ever chief of space operations for the Space Force.
“Space Force assets were among the first to be deployed in Operation Epic Fury and among the first to be targeted,” Reed said in the hearing. “Iran has specifically targeted Space Force command and control nodes and weapon systems throughout this conflict.”
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2026/07/16/space-increasingly-becoming-a-warfighting-domain-says-space-force-chief-nominee/
