U.S. Space Force unit in Europe navigates critical satellite operations (Image Credit: Space News)
ORLANDO, Fla. — A U.S. Space Force unit based at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, serves as a pivotal coordinator of space-based intelligence and protection amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, highlighting the increasingly critical role of commercial and military satellite technologies in modern warfare.
Brig. Gen. Jacob Middleton, commander of U.S. Space Forces Europe and Space Forces Africa, said in an interview at the Spacepower Conference that the U.S. has dramatically accelerated intelligence sharing, now delivering critical data to users within just 90 minutes. This rapid information flow comes with a significant caveat: adversaries are simultaneously working to disrupt communication networks.
“The adversary is trying to keep us from sharing that information,” through cyber attacks and electronic interference, he said.
The new battlefield
Activated in December 2023, Middleton’s unit coordinates space operations with U.S. European and Africa Commands.
“I have multiple bosses,” he explained, underlining the complex operational landscape supporting two major combatant commands while also coordinating with NATO partners.
The ongoing conflict has underscored the strategic importance of space assets, both commercial and military. Surveillance and imaging satellites provide near-real-time intelligence to Ukrainian forces, while Starlink’s broadband internet services have helped maintain battlefield connectivity despite Russian interference.
The reliance on commercial satellites has raised questions about how to strike a balance between public and classified operations. While commercial platforms provide unclassified data accessible to a wide audience, sharing this information with allies is often hampered by outdated classification norms, Middleton said.
“There should be, in my opinion, no limitation to commercial, readily available things that you can buy,” he said. “We had the luxury in the past of just classifying everything. Now we don’t, so we need to go through the hard process of figuring out what should not be classified.”
Define what should be commercial
Middleton said the military should tap commercial capabilities from private industry and specify what should be handled by government-specific requirements. This means identifying precisely what commercial technologies cannot provide so there is more efficient resource allocation.
“There’s no such thing as a U.S. internet command, because we can get all that from commercial companies,” he noted. “The next thing we have to figure out is what that architecture is going to look like.”
The ongoing Ukraine conflict serves not just as a testing ground for space-based capabilities, he noted, but as a laboratory for military adaptability.
Russia’s development of anti-satellite weapons and other counter-space capabilities has prompted hard questions about how to remain agile in a high-stakes environment.
Middleton likens the challenge to a famous quote from boxer Mike Tyson: “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face.”
“Our job is to recognize that we’re in a competition and our adversaries’ job is to get us off plan,” he said. “The military is trained to follow plans, but there are times when you have to be innovative.”
Middleton said he doesn’t explicitly ask his team how they’re innovating; instead, he expects it as a matter of course. “There’s a thinking adversary trying to get us off plan,” he said. “Our job is to stay on plan and get them off plan.”