By BlueShift | 2025-09-25

During its largest exercise to date, US Space Force (USSF) tested and validated critical command and control and operational elements of allied partnerships, demonstrating that interoperability is critical to deterrence.

Resolute Space 2025, which kicked off July 8 and concluded in early August, saw more than 700 Space Force Guardians train alongside international counterparts and US Joint Force personnel from other branches of the military.

At multiple bases across the United States and the Indo-Pacific region, participants tested USSF's ability to conduct complex, large-scale military operations in a contested space environment.

Front and center during the drills was the force's "allied by design" approach, where space systems and structures are conceptualized with international partnerships at their core to support and optimize cooperative use among allies.

"We are better able to achieve our goal of deterrence when we work together with our allies and partners," said Resolute Space 25 exercise director Col. Jay Steingold.

USSF, which became the sixth branch of the US Armed Forces in 2019, aims to protect US interests in space, deter aggression in the space domain, and support allied and joint military operations.

It has been working towards a future where space systems are "allied by design," ensuring interoperability and collective defense among partner nations.

"Resolute Space provides us an excellent opportunity to look at process, operations, and organizational structure challenges to know where we need to make improvements to our allied and partner integration,” said USSF Indo-Pacific commander Brig. Gen. Brian Denaro.

The lessons learned are being incorporated into USSF and allied partner operations already.

Full-spectrum integration

The USSF international partnership strategy aims to integrate with allies and partners across the full spectrum of force design, development and employment.

Foreign exchange and liaison officers from more than a dozen allied nations are integrated into all levels of command and fill senior leadership functions.

"Our allies are essential to our primary goal of deterrence," Steingold said. "We operate in the space domain together; we fly together; we sail together; and we’ve fought side-by-side."

"Our relations and coordination with allies and partners assure access to the space domain and this exercise validates those linkages and strengthens our relationships."

In August 2024, Guetlein noted that "every capability that we design, we’re trying to design the relationships and the interfaces in with our partnerships," the Federal News Network reported.

"I can no longer solely rely on the kit that I own and operate," he explained. "I now have to partner and that is completely changing our culture and that capability now has to integrate into a joint fight."

As the service pursues the resiliency of US space architecture, assets and capabilities, it has been working to address barriers to working with allies and partners, such as data-sharing processes and classification protocols.

Allied nations have been doing the same, balancing national security regulations with the need to share information and technology with allies, MilsatMagazine reported in July 2022.

"It is essential that partners and allies collaborate to achieve success in the space domain," United Kingdom Space Command commander Air Vice-Marshall Paul Godfrey told the magazine.

"We have been working closely with Space Systems Command as they lead on 'allied by design,'" he said. "It really is an exciting time as we work together to make space safe, secure, and sustainable for future generations."