The Air Force Space Power Development Committee, a civil-military cooperation body aiming to become a spaceflight nation, held a plenary meeting at ROKAF H.Q. on the 23rd, looked back on its overall activities, and discussed plans for developing future Air Force space capabilities.
The Air Force Space Power Development Committee is a civil-military joint committee launched in September 2021 to build national defense space power in a timely manner and conduct policy research activities of private professional organizations.
The committee, co-chaired by the Air Force Chief of Staff and the Director of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, is comprised of about 40 experts in the Air Force and private space fields and is organized into three divisions: space policy strategy, space power development, and space cooperation.
The general meeting is held every year to review the committee’s performance and seek development directions. The meeting began with opening remarks by Air Force Chief of Staff Lee Young-soo and Korea Aerospace Research Institute Director Lee Sang-ryul.
General Lee said, “Space security cannot be achieved through the efforts of the Air Force alone, and national space capabilities, civil-military cooperation, and international space cooperation are important”. “I would like you to give us many opinions on the necessity of a space control tower and the role of the Air Force in order to become a spacecraft nation,” he said.
Following this, presentations were made on the topics of each division. The Subcommittee on Space Policy and Strategy introduced the ‘Operation Status and Achievements of the Space Consultative Body with Advanced Nations in Space’, and the Subcommittee on Space Power Development introduced the ‘Development Direction of National Defense Space Power and the Status of Promotion of the Establishment of Air Force Space Power’. In addition, the Subcommittee on Space Cooperation announced the “Establishment of the National Aerospace Administration and the Role of the Air Force.”
After the meeting, the committee visited the Naro Space Center, which announced Korea’s leap forward as a space power. The committee members toured the launch command center and the launch site operation site and listened to the current status of the country’s space development, including space launch vehicles, and future promotions.
Umair Aslam is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Global Defense Insight. He has worked as a defense journalist reporting on military modernization programs, defense industry, arms procurement, and emerging technologies.
