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.

SpaceWERX, the space innovation arm of AFWERX, recently announced the nine recipients of its first funding opportunity specifically tailored to bring space capabilities across the ‘Valley of Death,’ or the difficult transition of scaling a high-potential capability into a formal program of record.

The funding opportunity comes through two programs: the Strategic Funding Increase or (STRATFI) and the Tactical Funding Increase or (TACFI). STRATFI and TACFI are designed to accelerate funding for start-ups and small businesses already receiving Small Business Innovation Research or (SBIR) grants, by matching those grants with additional funds from the Department of Defense (DOD) and private capital partners - an influx of cash that can help these businesses develop these capabilities and overcome the Valley of Death.

Now, AFWERX is leveraging these funding programs through its SpaceWERX division to accelerate the acquisition of space capabilities for the warfighter.

In this episode of "The Elara Edge: Expert Insights on Space Security," Elara Nova founding partner Maj Gen (Ret) Roger Teague is joined by fellow partners Rear Adm (Ret) Boris Becker and Jim Sullivan to discuss how Valley of Death challenges affect start-ups and small businesses in the emerging space industry and how the STRATFI/TACFI Programs aim to catalyze funding to find, fund and field space capabilities for the warfighter.

"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.

When Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks signed a memo to initiate changes in the Department of Defense’s (DOD) classification policy for space programs, the move marked a tangible moment in the push to adapt traditional classification policies for a modern space era. Historically, high classification thresholds for space-based capabilities were designed to protect Cold War-era secrets. But as the DOD has sought to extend Allied partnerships into the space domain, through programs like the Combined Space Operations Initative (CSpO), classified designations such as Special Access Programs (SAP) and No Foreign Dissemination (NOFORN) can - at times - compromise their effectiveness.

In this episode of "The Elara Edge: Expert Insights on Space Security," Elara Nova partners Lt Gen (Ret) Nina Armagno, former Director of Staff for the United States Space Force, and Lt Gen (Ret) John Shaw, former Deputy Commander of United States Space Command, break down the coming changes to the DOD's classification policy for space programs and how these changes will support extending Allied partnerships into the space domain through multinational efforts like the CSpO.

"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 was produced by Patrick Watkins of PW Audio.