In the Air Force’s 2016 budget request, officials sought to focus on how to use space in the face of military threats and on developing the ability to deter and defeat potential attacks. That emphasis translated into funding for programs such as Space Fence and the Joint Space Operations Center Mission System. Since threats have continued to evolve, the Air Force is working with the intelligence community to make space systems more resilient in its fiscal 2017 request, says Winston Beauchamp, the deputy undersecretary of the Air Force for Space. Beauchamp also has a role as the principal space adviser for the Pentagon, basically he is the point-man for coordinating space activities across government. Here is a look at how some of the Air Force’s most important space programs are faring.
