Whether it’s UFOs, military weaponry in space, or just too-close-for-comfort encounters between satellites, the frontiers of space can spark imaginations and heighten our fear of the unknown. But ever since the early days of the Space Race, technology in space — from communications technology to its impact on pop culture — has become an essential part of modern life.
With the formation of the Space Force in 2019, space officially became a domain with a dedicated U.S. military service branch. This September, New America hosted the first Chief of Space Operations, Gen. John “Jay” Raymond, during the 2021 Future Security Forum, 20×20: Redefining National Security for 2040. In conversation with New America Senior Fellow & Strategist Peter W. Singer, Gen. Raymond laid out what he believed the next 20 years of the new Space Force would look like, his vision of space as an avenue to deter conflict, and the challenge of defining norms of behavior in space. As Gen. Raymond puts it, “There’s nothing that we do that isn’t enabled by space.”
