Security News > 2021 > January > Space Force joins US Intelligence Community to secure outer space
Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe announced that the US Space Force is the ninth Department of Defense component to join the US Intelligence Community.
"Today, we took action to elevate space intelligence missions, tradecraft, and collaboration to ensure the success of the Space Force, the Intelligence Community, and ultimately our National Security," Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. Raymond said.
The 18th member of the IC. The Space Force will join forces with 17 other IC members to conduct intelligence activities with the end goal of supporting the foreign policy and defending the national security of the United States.
The eight other Department of Defense elements part of the US Intel Community are the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the National Reconnaissance Office, and intelligence elements of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force.
The bill required the DNI in coordination with the Chief of Space Operations and the Secretary of the Air Force to submit a plan to establish an IC element within the USSF. A US intelligence official told Reuters that, in 2019, USSF issued "Public statements describing Russian activities in space ... testing U.S. responses in space and menacing U.S. spacecraft" and the US is also aware of "Efforts of the Chinese to build counterspace capabilities."
"Today's change aligns our newest service with the other members of the Defense Intelligence Enterprise and will help ensure our efforts are coordinated and synchronized across all domains of warfare," Ezra Cohen, acting Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security, said.