It's been one year since Chief of Space Operations, General B. Chance Saltzman, announced the United States Space Force was creating “Integrated Mission Deltas,” or IMDs, as part of the service's Line of Effort #3 – Partner to Win edict. The new IMD model serves as a primary example of how the Space Force is leveraging partnerships internally to enhance readiness within specific space mission areas.

But the military's newest service is also leveraging partnerships externally, as well. The Space Force is currently assessing its relationship to the various Combatant Commands - including a review of what future space component to United States Cyber Command (CYBERCOM) might look like.

Now, this revitalized emphasis on partnerships is spreading to other elements of the Department of Defense (DOD). In recognition of the inherently interconnected space and cyber domains, CYBERCOM entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) agreement with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to streamline the development and adoption of innovative cybersecurity technologies against an ever-evolving near-term threat.

In this episode of "The Elara Edge: Expert Insights on Space Security," Maj Gen (Ret) Kim Crider, Founding Partner at Elara Nova: The Space Consultancy, is joined by Lt Gen (Ret) Kevin McLaughlin, Partner at Elara Nova, to explain how the innovative IMD model demonstrates one of the many ways the Space Force – and the DOD writ large – is initiating new partnerships to ensure mission readiness across time horizons to be responsive to the threat.

"The Elara Edge" is hosted by Scott King and produced by Regia Multimedia Services. The full story can be found on Elara Nova's Insights page here. Music for the podcast was produced by Patrick Watkins of PW Audio.