CSO Gen. Chance Saltzman offer remarks during the Mitchell Institute Spacepower Security Forum in Washington, D.C., March 27, 2024. (DoD photo by Joseph Clark)
WASHINGTON — Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman has barred all Space Force personnel from participating in any events sponsored by the Mitchell Institute, pending further instructions.
The ban was conveyed to Space Force and US Space Command leaders in a Thursday evening email blast signed by Maj. Gen. Steven Whitney, Space Force staff director.
“CSO has directed that all Guardian participation with the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies is stopped until further notice. Instructions will follow when he clears future participation. This does not affect participation at the AFA’s Warfare Symposium, only Mitchell Institute sponsored events,” the email states. “I ask that you disseminate this guidance to your teams.”
The email does not list a reason for the decision. However, it follows hard on the heels of the Feb. 19 release of a new Mitchell report calling on the Defense Department to more clearly define the Space Force’s role in warfighting. The report, which was based on a workshop attended by Guardians, also found that Saltzman’s overarching theory of space power, dubbed “Competitive Endurance,” gives the impression of being weighed toward defensive operations rather than offensive actions — and that there continues to be some hesitancy within the Guardian corps about warfighting in space.
A spokesperson for the Space Force was unable to respond by press time.
While maintaining 501c3 status as an independent think tank, Mitchell traditionally has advocated for the importance of US military air power and the US Air Force, and increasingly in recent years for space power and the Space Force. Indeed, it was named for Army Brig. Gen. William Mitchell, who according to the organization’s website, “was a visionary of early airpower and the importance it would play in post-world-war global security and future wars.”
In response to a request for comment from Breaking Defense, retired Air Force Lt. Gen. David Deptula, Mitchell Institute dean, said that Saltzman “is dedicated to infusing a warfighting attitude in the Space Force.”
Nonetheless, he said, “for decades, military personnel were prohibited from saying ‘warfighting’ and ‘space’ in the same sentence. Circumstances are far different now given adversary actions. The Space Force leadership knows this and is pressing hard to evolve the service.
“Mitchell Institute will continue to advocate for the Space Force, and the absolute need to increase their resources, personnel, and authorities that are all essential to realize ‘peace through strength’ for our nation,” he added.
