Space Forces, Global Dominance and PR
Via Defend America, the Department of Defense's news site for the Global War on Terror:
Alumni of the Joint Civilian Orientation Conference enjoyed a special tour of our "space forces" last Friday in Colorado Springs, CO.
A trip inside the Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center highlighted an intensive look by civic leaders from throughout the United States into how the U.S. military is using the skies and space to protect the homeland against terrorism.
[snip]
"Space is the ultimate high ground," Maj. Lisa Bomberg, from Air Force Space Command, told the group, explaining the importance of space for military operations: communication, weather assessments, navigation, precision targeting, intelligence and battle-damage assessments, among them.
The trip included tours of Schriever AFB ("the only all-space Air Force base") and its 50th Space Wing ("the best satellite flyers in the world") as well as the Space Warfare Center.
Now what, you may ask, is the "Join Civilian Orientation Conference"?
The Joint Civilian Orientation Conference introduces civilian "movers and shakers" to the military so they can return to their hometowns to share their insights with their neighbors and business associates. This is the fourth meeting of former participants, designed to keep them up-to-date about developments with the Defense Department and "reenergize them" so they will continue to serve as ambassadors for the military in their communities, according to Air Force Lt. Col. Chet Curtis, program director.
According to the USMC web-site, Donald Rumsfeld takes a special interest in the program, and it is the only such program he endorses. Its objectives are:
- To increase public understanding of national defense through a forum of free exchange among influential citizens, DoD officials, and military leadership.
- Acquaint participants with the strength and readiness of the U.S. Armed Forces through personal observation of Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard activities.
- Facilitate the candid exchange of information on defense matters between the Secretary of Defense and JCOC participants.
- Help the American public obtain a better understanding of national defense policies and programs through opinion leaders who return to their communities and share firsthand observations and knowledge gained during the Conference.
A listing of past alumni of the JCOC suggests that the program seeks "movers and shakers" specifically from business, hi-tech, academia, and local and state politics. The list includes an executive at Clear Channel Communications (Stephen Kimatian), a member of Governor Jeb Bush's administration (Pamella Dana), and an executive at Ameritrade (J. Peter Ricketts). Although the group is non-partisan, many have strong affiliations with the Republican party. There also seems to be an unusually high number of members from New Mexico.
Judging from the impressions of the JCOC alumni, their trip to visit our space forces did the trick:
"A fascinating trip," agreed Sunny Park, CEO of General Building Maintenance and Global Sun Investments in Atlanta and founder of the Good Neighboring Foundation. "It's amazing to see that we not only control the ground, but we also control space. It's a powerful thing."
Selling the public on large budget outlays for space forces is no doubt crucial for the DoD's future plans. According to the Project for a New American Century's report "Rebuilding America's Defenses", space supremacy (including "force application" from space and denying others the access to space) is a key to maintaining America's global dominance through the 21st Century (see pages 54-57).
Now that they've witnessed our space forces firsthand and gotten a sense of the future possibilities, the JCOC alumni will be sure to go out and preach the gospel to the masses.
1:55:57 AM 
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