SCHRIEVER SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo. -- Two reservists from the 310th Space Wing gave an unclassified presentation on orbital warfare training and technology at the annual Department of Defense Intelligence Information Systems Worldwide Conference, for the first time in its 20-year history, in San Antonio, Texas, Dec. 12-15.
The DoDIIS Worldwide Conference, hosted by Defense Intelligence Agency, serves as the largest intelligence community information technology event where government leaders, foreign partners, members of academia and industry collaborate and share unique insight on developing and innovative technologies to support warfighters and the nation.
Maj. Matthew Sanchez, the 310th Operational Support Squadron assistant director of operations, was asked to be a presenter at the conference after delivering a briefing to the DIA technology leadership council at the Joint Reserve Intelligence Center in Portland, Oregon, on the Orbital Defense Initiation Course taught here.
Sanchez agreed and insisted on bringing Tech. Sgt. Austin Miller, a 310th OSS senior instructor for the Orbital Defense Initiation Course.
“I basically demanded that he come with me,” said Sanchez. “As an AGR (Active Guard Reserve), it’s his full-time job to teach the course. He has the expertise and knows all the ins and outs when it comes to the real-world mission and impact when it comes to orbital warfare.”
Orbital warfare may sound like science fiction, but in 2021, Gen. David Thompson, the U.S. Space Force vice chief of space operations, said in U.S. satellites suffer reversible attacks from jamming, laser dazzling (blinding satellites’ optical sensors) and cyberattacks.
Overtly destructive weapons, like anti-satellite missiles and adversarial satellites equipped with chemical sprays, also threaten the space domain.
“Most speakers, including our breakout sessions, are senior intelligence leaders, technologists, and academics (general officers, senior colonels, etc.),” Ramesh Menon, the DIA chief technology officer in wrote in an email. “Having Sergeant Miller in house to speak as an orbital warfare instructor and subject-matter expert, brought a new level of respect and authority to DoDIIS…I cannot imagine a future DoDIIS being successful without warfighters like Sgt. Miller and Maj. Sanchez.”
With more than 4,000 attendees at the conference focused on IT innovations, Miller said “It is essential that we network and develop partnerships at these events to aid with onboarding the newest technologies developed for the warfighter.”
The pair were also asked to join the DIA Artificial Intelligence cohort alongside representatives from the National Intelligence University on a panel.
“AI is a potential solution that could streamline the process of having to analyze large quantities of multi-source data, extract decision-quality information and recommend courses of action to our nation’s key leaders and decision makers. This would be a first for the space domain,” said Miller.
Sanchez is already planning for the next conference.
“We’re already thinking about how to bolster our participation next year by having something like a combined Guardian-Airmen panel on key enabling technologies we use in our day-to-day operations,” Sanchez said.
DoDIIS 2023 is tentatively scheduled for early December 2023 in Portland, Oregon. For more information on the conference, visit https://www.ncsi.com/event/dodiis/.