Space Forces Europe and Africa commander addresses Space Defense and Security Summit

PARIS — The head of U.S. Space Forces Europe and Space Forces Africa urged allied militaries and industry to accelerate operational integration and build more resilient, interoperable space capabilities during remarks to defense leaders and executives at the Space Defense and Security Summit on Sept. 15.

“Space is a warfighting domain. Full stop,” Brig. Gen. Christopher Fernengel said. “The space components are using the tried-and-true methods of providing service warfighters to combatant commands to integrate, synchronize and execute operations. The culture of these units of action have transitioned from a support mindset to a warfighting mindset and they now eat, breathe and live through joint functions and our hungry to effectively close friendly kill chains, while maintaining the ability to disrupt the adversary’s kill chains.”

Fernengel outlined the command’s push to deliver combat power to allies and the joint force, highlighting the need for systems that can survive contested environments and operate seamlessly with partner nations. On the margins of the summit, he held one-on-one meetings with representatives from Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Germany.

“We must drive toward true operational integration,” Fernengel said. “We are stronger together, but we must mature and evolve as a collective. True integration means resolving two highly difficult areas well before a crisis begins: authorities and targeting.”

He also pressed for tighter alignment between technological development and operational demand, saying government and industry must compress timelines so new capabilities can be fielded and adapted at the pace set by current security threats.

“Space is a team sport,” Fernengel said. “Our security across the entire space domain relies on a fundamental shift in how we think, how we invest and most importantly, how we fight.”

U.S. Space Forces Europe and Africa is the U.S. Space Force component responsible for integrating space capabilities with U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command, supporting missions such as satellite communications, missile warning and space domain awareness alongside allied and partner nations. NATO recognized space as an operational domain in 2019 and has since expanded its focus on collective space resilience, underscoring the emphasis on cross-border coordination that Fernengel called for in Paris.