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Space Force Requires Workforce to be Digitally Fluent; LTG David Thompson Quoted

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Lt. Gen. David Thompson
Lt. Gen. David Thompson Vice Commander US Space Force

The U.S. Space Force will require its workforce to pass a minimum level of training to prove their knowledge, skills and capabilities, and become digitally fluent, Federal News Network reported on Friday.

U.S. Air Force MG Kim Crider, mobilization assistant to the chief of Space Operations, has developed a strategy to integrate the Digital University that will provide a minimum level of education to Space Force servicemembers and civilians.

“Crider is establishing a core set of knowledge and training activities that every single member of the Space Force will be required when it comes to digital,” said LTG David Thompson, vice commander of the U.S. Space Force. 

Crider’s finalized plan will be delivered to Space Force commander and 2020 Wash100 Award recipient, John Raymond, in fall 2020. Crider has also planned the development of a digital headquarters from a process and procedure perspective will not rely on disparate, disconnected systems.

“Another one of the elements she’s building on is a pure digital strategy. How we handle our data, how we process our data, how we expose our data and how we allow others access to and manipulate the data,” Thompson added. “She already is full and deep in terms of having built and execute a strategy to make us a digital service.”

Crider also stated that the service is set to publish its 2020 science and technology roadmap and recognizes the need to work with industry to bring that plan to fruition, ExecutiveGov reported on Thursday

“We agree with the industrial base report,” Crider said of the “State of the Space Industrial Base 2020: A Time for Action to Sustain U.S. Economic & Military Leadership in Space” report released by the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) in July. “We have to coordinate with industry and other government leaders.”

She said Wednesday at the Ascend virtual conference that the service branch backs the idea of establishing “unity of effort” across industry, academia and government to incentivize the industrial base.

Crider cited examples of technology areas where the Space Force can work with industry, including satellite-based communications, power generation in space, space transportation, logistics and positioning, navigation and timing.