A new Air Force directorate is being established to further integrate space into Air Force aerospace operations.
The Space Operations and Integration Directorate will stand up by Oct. 31 and will be headed by Brig. Gen. Michael A. Hamel, currently the director of requirements, Headquarters Air Force Space Command. Hamel will be responsible for developing policy and providing oversight and space operational expertise for the Air Force.
“The standing up of the Space Operations and Integration Directorate will allow us to further advance the Air Force’s goal of full-spectrum aerospace integration. Just as importantly, the directorate will also help focus on space operations which is a full-time business for us,” said Lt. Gen. Robert Foglesong, deputy chief of staff, air and space operations.
To accomplish its mission, the directorate will be staffed with specialists from space and air operations, acquisition, planning and other communities to provide one-stop shopping for space operations information.
“The Air Force has done a good job integrating space capabilities into air operations, especially during the last decade,” Foglesong said. “As we start the 21st century, however, we need to further integrate space into aerospace operations and accommodate our maturing space operations. We also need a main focal point within operations to look at how we can further integrate space within joint and allied operations.
“Up to this point, it wasn’t always clear where the space operational expertise was within the operational community on the air staff,” he said. “Now, the chief of staff and major commands will know where to go for space operational matters.”
Within headquarters Air Force, people from acquisition, planning and other communities will now have an operational center of excellence for space operational matters. “This is just another step in normalizing space operations, and linking the Air Staff to the operational level,” Foglesong said.
“This mix of talent will be important when looking at how we can better integrate air and space operations within our aerospace force,” he said. “They will even provide policy and guidance for such areas as career field management.”
