***Click here to download video. Click here for audio.***
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), during a Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) hearing, questioned Lt. General Gregory Guillot, USAF, and Lt. General Stephen Whiting, USSF, on domain awareness, airborne ISR missions and equipment, and the Space Development Agency’s Tracking Layer program which will be operated out of the Grand Forks Air Force Base.
The hearing considered the nominations of Lt. General Guillot for Commander, U.S. Northern Command, and Commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command, and the nomination of Lt. General Whiting for Commander, United States Space Command.
Senator Cramer first questioned Lt. General Whiting on the U.S. Air Force successfully shedding its airborne, legacy ISR missions and equipment.
“My concern has been while they live with and plan for the promise of space being able to handle ISR, for the combatant commanders, wherever they may be, whether it's the southern border or CENTCOM, a gap could very well occur where there won't be adequate ISR. Presuming for a moment space can do that at some point, what’s your comfort level that space can unilaterally handle that type of ISR Global Hawks and others are able to provide?” asked Senator Cramer.
“ISR from space bring us untold advantages. Satellites as they orbit the Earth, don't go through sovereign airspace. We can freely overfly any point of the earth and get that intelligence we need. I think it's a layered need for systems as we move forward. There will be a need for ground based ISR capabilities—sea-based, air-based, and space-based. I am supportive of doing the reviews to move as much to space as we can, while leveraging the unique attributes the other domains can bring as well,” responded Lt. General Whiting.
Senator Cramer also questioned the nominees about the Space Development Agency’s Tracking Layer program which will be operated out of the Grand Forks Air Force Base. He asked whether they were familiar with the program and how they saw NORTHCOM, NORAD, integrating Space Development Agency into their awareness.
“As you alluded to domain awareness and certainly in the sensing grid, it takes a variety of sensors. I look forward to bringing those in, that capability, as well as the space-based, long-term persistence General Whiting mentioned for space to complement the other terrestrial systems we're using now, or bringing online here in the near future,” responded Lt. General Guillot.
Additionally, Senator Cramer asked both nominees to share their insights on the importance of the Perimeter Acquisition Radar Attack Characterization System (PARCS) Radar and extending the legacy systems’ lifespan.
“PARCS, at Cavalier, is an essential part of the NORAD sensing grid we've been talking about it. It provides the integrated tactical warning and attack assessment capability for the NORAD commander to decide if a threat is a threat to North America. Upgrading that radar and several just like it we have across the network is extremely important to complement the new systems that are coming in to make sure that sensing grid can reach out and get all types of threats in all domains,” responded Lt. General Guillot.
“I've had the good fortune to visit Cavalier multiple times during my career. I was just there last September, and General Guillot mentioned it's vital to our missile warning capabilities, but as you alluded to, it's also vital to our space domain awareness capabilities. Its unique position pointing north allows it to see all of our polar orbiting objects. It's just absolutely critical for us given its unique location and capabilities, and I expect we’ll continue to need that going forward,” responded Lt. General Whiting.