Secretary of the Air Force Visits Vandenberg: Talks Modernization, Strategic Fiscal Goals and Reoptimization

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VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, CA, UNITED STATES – The Honorable Frank Kendall, Secretary of the Air Force, paid a visit to Guardians and Airmen at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., May 22, 2024. During his visit, Vandenberg Guardians and Airmen shared operational details on how they support resilient space activities at the U.S. Space Force’s West Coast Spaceport and Test range.

Secretary Kendall’s visit focused on modernization and strategic fiscal goals, with a specific focus on reoptimization to effectively address the challenges posed by Great Power Competition.

“We need space resiliency, the ability to have assets in space, as both Russia and China have built and are building a wide array of weapons to attack our satellites,” said Secretary Kendall. “Space Force has resilient space capabilities, and our team provides the space portion of the joint force support.”

Vandenberg is one of two high-capacity spaceports in the United States, providing strategic space access capabilities that deliver on-orbit systems for global space operations.

“We have a critical role at Vandenberg and in Space Launch Delta 30 in meeting the challenges of Great Power Competition,” said Col. Mark Shoemaker, SLD 30 commander. “Secretary Kendall’s visit is timely, as we increase agility and capacity to evolve in response to the dynamic strategic environment.”

Secretary Kendall’s pillars encompass the rapid modernization of Department of the Air Force installations. To delve deeper into these aspects, Shoemaker and Secretary Kendall toured the Western Range Operations Control Center, facilitating discussions on the installation’s capacity, agility and resilience.

During the tour, Secretary Kendall highlighted the importance of mission-capable service members in the success of the Department of the Air Force’s modernization and reoptimization plan.

“Mission-capable Airmen, and Guardians, are people who have great strength, are much better trained, and better motivated people with more initiative than our adversary,” said Secretary Kendall. “This is much more about active leadership, and inspiring capable people is a big part of preparation to meet the Great Power Competition.”

Secretary Kendall also visited Space Forces-Space during his visit at Vandenberg SFB and students from the 533rd Training Squadron and 532nd Training Squadron.