Rogers: We must Continue to have Robust Public Discussions on Space Policy

U.S. Representative Mike Rogers (R-AL), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, released the following statement on the Department of Defense's (DoD) Space Policy Review and Strategy on Protection of Satellites.

"We have seen significant changes in the space domain over the last decade. Not only did we stand up the U.S. Space Force, but China and Russia have accelerated their deployment of space weapons at an alarming rate. Both the restructuring of our own forces and the increased threats from adversaries created the need for a renewed public discussion of what exactly our policies in space, as a warfighting domain, are.

"With this report, the Department of Defense has started what needs to be a robust discussion of what we must do to protect the Joint Force from Russian and Chinese space weapons. We must continue to move the ball forward as we look to achieve a comprehensive military advantage in space.

"In particular, I also look forward to hearing more from DoD on how it is working to remove barriers to collaboration, like classification, with some of our closest allies and partners. This is part of the broader problem with overclassification of space systems that has persisted for decades and must be addressed to normalize DoD's approach to the space domain."