PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colorado -- About a third of the Army's space operations officers convened in Colorado to train and share ideas during the Functional Area 40, or FA40, Training Forum here, Aug. 8-12.
Mike Connolly, director, Army Space Personnel Development Office, U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command, said the purpose of the forum was to bring the FA40 community together to discuss recent and future activity and to get everyone on the same sheet of music.
Currently, there are about 300 FA40 officers who serve in operational positions supporting Army and Joint Department of Defense organizations that focus on developing and integrating space capabilities, as well as operationally supporting the Warfighter with space-based capabilities.
During his remarks, Aug. 11, Adm. Cecil D. Haney, commander, U.S. Strategic Command, highlighted the importance of space operations and their impact on regional and global security.
"Space capabilities are not only foundational to my nuclear deterrent mission and other assigned missions, they are critical to our Warfighters who operate across the globe," he said. "We must work hard to ensure that we can deter conflict from extending to outer space. We simply cannot risk denied access to a domain that is so vital to U.S. national security."
Haney thanked the audience for the work they do and said the discussions held during the forum gave him some "great ideas" that he will take with him. He concluded his remarks by asking the space operations officers in attendance to continue asking the hard questions.
The forum focused on "Partnerships in Space" and included presentations from the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines and Coast Guard leaders, as well as representatives from the Information Operations, Electronic Warfare, and Geospatial Intelligence communities.
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