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Thank you, Elliot [Pulham], for that humbling introduction! It's an honor and privilege for me to be here with you today.

I'd like to especially thank the Space Foundation and all those responsible for this outstanding event. As we've come to expect, this 19th National Space Symposium is off to an excellent start! Your continued support and contributions to this important business is greatly appreciated.not just this week but throughout the year. The opportunity to have so many folks together, the opportunity to share ideas and learn what's going on, is certainly important! In our business, the business of controlling and exploiting the medium of space, partnerships are important and this forum provides the perfect opportunity to cement those relationships.

Right now, young men and women of this great country's Armed Forces and other agencies are fully engaged in the defense of our homeland--Operations Noble Eagle and Liberty Shield. They, along with our coalition partners, are also engaged around the world in the Global War on Terrorism and Operation Enduring Freedom. Finally, they are fighting--and some are dying--in Operation Iraqi Freedom. There seems to be some question in some people's minds over the outcome of that conflict, but I'm convinced we will win in Iraq and the people will be liberated! Our troops are sending a strong message to those States that would sponsor terrorism, and they better take notice!

This morning, I'd like to take just a few minutes of your time and talk about the contribution Air Force Space Command is making to those operations.

I'm going to start by talking about our contributions to Operation Iraqi Freedom, but you'll quickly see that we're engaged in more than just a single operation. We're involved & supporting operations, 24 / 7 / 365, around the world! In fact, we've got two global operations--ICBM and Space Operations. We're also supporting missions is specific theaters, with one of our largest efforts in the CENTCOM area of operations. Even though the majority of our global and theater operations are accomplished from our home stations, more than 1000 men and women from AFSPC are deployed.

If I were to describe our contribution in one word, it would be ADVANTAGE. But that isn't descriptive enough; it's really an ASYMMETRIC ADVANTAGE! When you think about it, the pursuit of an asymmetric advantage is not new. For centuries, warriors have searched for weapons and methods that would guarantee them victory and significantly enhance their existing force. In the early 20th century, airpower emerged as just such an advantage. Today, at the outset of the 21st century, we are realizing the same sort of advantage through space power. We don't just have more satellites than the enemy, or faster communications. And we aren't the only ones with access to the global navigation and timing capabilities provided by GPS, the Iraqi forces could use them too. The advantage we provide is more than numbers, it's more than simply the individual capabilities any one system provides.

In Operation Enduring Freedom, we saw new and creative ways to use existing systems. The capabilities those systems provided generated transformational impacts on the battlefields of Afghanistan. Today, in Operation Iraqi Freedom, we've seen that same sort of transformation against a different adversary. Let me give you a couple of examples that illustrate this asymmetric advantage.

In Kosovo, and then in Afghanistan, munitions guided by satellites--AFSPC satellites--came into their own as the all-weather weapons of choice. JDAM [Joint Direct Attack Munition] became almost a household name! On March 21, F-117 stealth fighters struck five strategic targets in Baghdad using a new precision-guided 2000 lb. munition, the EGBU-27--"E" for "Enhanced." When poor weather or other obstructions prevent this "smart" bomb from seeing the laser spot on a target, the new "smarter bomb" automatically switches to the satellite-guidance system. The enhanced bomb gives this deep-strike fighter the ability to precisely hit a target in all kinds of weather. We've had Laser-Guided bombs since Vietnam.we've had the F-117 since Panama.and we've had GPS since the first Gulf War. But today, in Iraq, our people are able to accomplish things no one else can by leveraging all three capabilities! That's one example of our "asymmetric advantage"!

Operation Iraqi Freedom has also seen the employment of jammers--attempting to deny us that asymmetric advantage--challenging our Space Superiority. Now, I've often said that "Anyone who thinks they can deny our GPS capabilities is sorely mistaken," and that was demonstrated in our response to this threat! B-1B Lancers and F-117 Nighthawks bombed those six GPS jammers, and we did it with GPS-guided munitions!

The contributions of GPS would not be possible without another of our key capabilities. What I'm talking about is the capability to get those satellites to orbit and ensure they're operating at their peak performance. What I'm talking about is assured access to space. You'll here a lot more about that tonight in Mr. Teets' remarks. It's one of his top priorities and it's one of ours at AFSPC as well. In January, we launched the 8th GPS Block IIR satellite and it was supporting current operations, as well as world-wide users, in record time. Just a week ago, we launched the 9th IIR satellite and we're trying to get it on-line even faster than the 8th. Finally, this morning we launched the last Milstar satellite! We've also seen successful launches of both the Atlas V and Delta IV--EELV [Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle] is a reality! Finally, we've started our study to determine the next step in this crucial area--Operationally Responsive Spacelift. Assured access to space is clearly one of our fundamental asymmetric advantages.

While I could clearly go on for hours describing the AFSPC contribution to Operation Iraqi Freedom, as well as other ongoing operations, I'd like to give you one last example to think about. One of the biggest unknowns in this war is something we've talked about for years -- Weapons of Mass Destruction. We know Saddam has them.and we know he's used them before. You've all seen troops, and reporters, on TV donning gas masks to protect against this threat, but I'd like to talk about something you don't see on TV, something with a mission to prevent Saddam from using those weapons--our ICBM force!

Today, across vast areas of North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska and Colorado, our ICBM team continues to deter conflict with professional people and safe, secure, ready missiles. That team is ready to employ force upon direction by our national leadership. They are backed-up by a great system program office in Los Angeles as well as the AFMC team out in Utah. Though the Cold War is over, and the threat has changed, the deterrent and prompt global strike capabilities our ICBMs provide are still very important and I guarantee you Saddam, and others like him, will think twice before using WMD! Again, that's what I mean by "Asymmetric Advantage"!

That advantage, however, is not just a result of our systems and their capabilities. Our people are the other part of that equation and they are an indispensable part! People develop the theory, doctrine and concepts of operation; people define the requirements, acquire and build the systems; and people operate and sustain the systems. Without our people--our most valuable asset--our capabilities are of little worth! One specific example I'd like to highlight is our integration into theater operations.

We have space operators, both officer and enlisted, working hard in the Combined Air and Space Operations Center (CAOC). That includes a senior space officer, Col Larry James, who works for Lt Gen "Buzz" Moseley, the Combined Forces Air & Space Component Commander. That position is more critical than ever since Gen Tommy Franks designated Buzz as the single "Space Coordinating Authority."

As I said at the beginning, most of our men & women don't have to deploy because they are already doing their mission from their home locations. For example, the 10th Missile Squadron is deterring Saddam Hussein and others who possess weapons of mass destruction.and they're doing that from central Montana. The 2nd Space Warning Squadron provides missile warning, both theater and strategic, from Buckley AFB just north of here in Aurora CO. The 2nd Space Operations Squadron provides their GPS capabilities--worldwide--from Schriever AFB east of Colorado Springs. The 614th Space Operations Squadron, manning our Air & Space Operations Center, provides direct theater support from Vandenberg AFB. And the 1st Space Control Squadron provides worldwide space situation awareness from Cheyenne Mountain just a few miles away.

That's it. That's a snapshot of our contributions--our asymmetric advantage. It's certainly not all-inclusive--I could go on for hours and still not hit everything! If you don't take anything more from my talk today, I hope you remember two things. Our asymmetric advantage is more than just systems; it is the combination of those capabilities and the people who develop, operate, sustain and use them! I also hope your understand that AFSPC has world-wide responsibilities. Our capabilities and people support every operation, combat or humanitarian, where our joint forces are engaged.24 / 7 / 365.

On behalf of the 38,000 men and women of Air Force Space Command, thank you for your continuing support and ank you again for the opportunity to be with you today.