Source: United States Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)
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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), founder and co-chair of the Senate Space Force Caucus, questioned General B. Chance Saltzman, Chief of Space Operations, about modernizing the Perimeter Acquisition Radar Attack Characterization System (PARCS) Radar Warning System, preparedness, and offensive operations. Excerpts and full video are below.
Senator Cramer previously pushed for the Space Force to prioritize upgrades to the PARCS Radar in Cavalier, which has since received funding. He discussed the importance of improving the system.
“In terms of the PARCS Radar as an example, and we see some money coming for that, we presume that means it’ll be upgraded, it’ll be modernized. As you know, it’s a high priority for me, since we have one that you’re the landlord of up in North Dakota. Speak a little bit to the role of PARCS Radar modernization and how that will help you and the Joint Force in terms of, particularly, early warning,” asked Senator Cramer.
“The mission that’s being done in North Dakota and the other ground-based radars is twofold: it’s missile warning and it’s space surveillance, primarily,” responded General Saltzman. “Those radars are really good at those jobs, so the real challenge is, how do I go to a rapid assessment and decision quality information of the data that those radars are pulling in? That’s my responsibility – it’s to figure out how to take all that massive amount of data and quickly turn them into decision-making information.”
Senator Cramer also talked about preserving the characteristics, “lean, agile, and fast,” which he attributed to the former Chief of Space Operations.
“Does the budget help you be more lean, agile, and fast? And I don’t mean cheap, I mean lean, agile, and fast. Again, those relationships are so important. How valuable, and difficult, is that balance to make sure you maintain those characteristics?” asked Senator Cramer.
“There’s no question we’re still lean. And there’s no question we’re going as fast as we can. That’s a tough standard for me to say, ‘we’re fast.’ I’m always looking to go faster. I’m always looking to be more agile. And so, I’m going to be probably our toughest critic going forward trying to ensure that we stay as fast as possible,” responded General Saltzman. “Being small does offer some advantages. We can move rapidly through a smaller bureaucracy than maybe some of the other organizations can. […] There’s no question we’re still lean, and now we’re trying to become optimized based on that size to make sure we’re still producing high-quality capabilities for a high-quality workforce.”
Finally, Senator Cramer confirmed existing policies don’t impose bureaucratic hurdles, but rather empower the Space Force to carry out its mission.
“I just want to make sure you’re getting the type of, the right, policies that don’t restrict your offensive abilities,” said Senator Cramer. “Whether it’s the budget, or the Administration, or chain of command, do you feel like you have the right policies in place to both protect and attack if necessary?”
“I assure you, there are no policies that prevent us from exploring a full spectrum of operations,” responded General Saltzman.