Air Force Lt. Gen. Michael J. Lutton, left, deputy commander of U.S. Strategic Command; Space Force Gen. Stephen N. Whiting, commander of U.S. Space Command; and Air Force Gen. Gregory M. Guillot, commander of U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, participate in a panel discussion about homeland defense during the Air and Space Force’s annual warfare symposium in Aurora, Colo., Feb. 24, 2026. (Photo/DOW screenshot)
By Matthew Olay
Pentagon News
The War Department’s 2026 National Defense Strategy, released Jan. 23, prioritizes defending the homeland as its first line of effort.
During a panel this week on homeland defense at the Air and Space Forces Association’s annual warfare symposium in Aurora, Colorado, three senior Air and Space Force generals discussed how their respective combatant commands are working to do just that.
Space Force Gen. Stephen N. Whiting, commander of U.S. Space Command; Air Force Gen. Gregory M. Guillot, commander of U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command; and Air Force Lt. Gen. Michael J. Lutton, deputy commander of U.S. Strategic Command, spent time discussing what they view as the biggest threats to the homeland and how they foresee the development of the Golden Dome for America missile defense system, among other topics.
The Russia threat in orbit
Whiting as the commander of SPACECOM oversees the command responsible for conducting, planning and integrating joint military space operations, including with allies, to deter aggression, defend national interests, and defeat threats in, from and to space.
SPACECOM’s headquarters is undergoing a relocation to Huntsville, Alabama, from Colorado Springs, a move expected to take 3-5 years to complete, although some operations in Huntsville are planned to begin much sooner.
Whiting said his primary concern is Russia’s reported development of a space-based, nuclear-powered anti-satellite capability designed to destroy or disable satellites, particularly in low Earth orbit.
“If Russia were to launch that, of course, it would violate the Outer Space Treaty that they’re a signatory to, [and] it would be an incredibly destructive and indiscriminate weapon that would hold all nations’ space capabilities at risk,” Whiting said.
“And, of course, that’s just something that we wouldn’t want to tolerate,” he added.
Golden Dome update
In terms of the development of the Golden Dome, which President Donald J. Trump authorized via Executive Order 14186 on Jan. 27, 2025, all three leaders said their respective commands are working closely together and with Space Force Commander Gen. Michael A. Guetlein, the director of the Golden Dome mission.
Guillot said that as soon as Guetlein was confirmed to lead Golden Dome, he flew out to meet with Guillot and Whiting to begin basic planning for the program.
“And the three of us left the room, without any exaggeration, 100 percent aligned with what we thought Golden Dome for America should look like,” Guillot said.
(Image/L3Harris)
He added that the program is moving along at such a clip that it might have demonstrable capability much faster than initially anticipated.
“When Golden Dome first was discussed, I think some thought it would be a 2040 … type of capability [but] it’s not; it’s much closer, and a lot of the capabilities are [already] there,” Guillot said.
(Image/Lockheed Martin)
The cyber threat
Regarding the threat assessment to North America, two of the three leaders agreed that cyberattacks from U.S. adversaries are near the top — if not at the top — of the list.
“The cyber threat is the most persistent and present threat that we have,” said Guillot, whose combined NORAD and Northcom commands focus on homeland defense in all domains. “I’m often asked when doing congressional testimony, ‘What’s our next attack going to be?’ And I say we are under attack right this second in cyber[space] from nation states and proxies to them, trying to get into our systems to the tune of hundreds of millions [of] attempts a day.”
(Image/Lockheed Martin)
Lutton, whose command conducts global operations to deter strategic attacks — particularly nuclear — and employs tailored forces to guarantee the security of the nation and its allies, concurred with Guillot’s assessment.
“With respect to cyberspace, the ability of cyber to disrupt or deny or degrade — that has a different tempered dimension, if you will, than a ballistic missile [and] there’s potential ambiguity with cyber that is very much a focus of [Stratcom],” Lutton said.
(Editor’s note: This story was edited by AlaDefense.com to prioritize the newest information most related to space and missile defense interests in Huntsville.)
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