The Air Force general nominated by President Trump to head the new U.S. Space Command said Tuesday that increasing competition with China and Russia is raising the stakes over the use of intelligence and weapons orbiting the globe.
Gen. John Raymond told a Senate committee that developing and protecting U.S. equipment in space is growing more important not just for projecting power above the planet but for ensuring traditional battlefield dominance.
“Historically we’ve been operating in a benign domain,” he told the Senate Armed Services Committee, referring to space. “It’s no longer good enough just to launch a satellite, get it in orbit and work the integration piece. You have to be able to protect and defend it.”
