John F. Plumb, the assistant secretary of defense for space policy, has outlined the three priorities that his office is “laser focused” on: space control, space cooperation and space classification. Speaking before the Senate Armed Services Committee, subcommittee on strategic forces, Plumb said that the Department of Defense (DOD) would protect and defend national security interests from growing space and counterspace threats. The DOD would also work to remove barriers to sharing information with allies and to strengthen communication across the US government. Plumb said that the US would need to cooperate with like-minded nations if space was to remain free and open. The fiscal year 2024 presidential budget submission included $33bn for space operations.
