"Cislunar and xGEO is important to us," David Denhard, US Space Command's chief scientist and technical advisor, told the State of the Space Industrial Base conference in New Mexico on May 2026. That simple declaration framed several specific, consequential moves: a reordering of science and technology priorities, an emphasis on fast on-orbit mobility, and the explicit inclusion of offensive space control in planning for the vast region between Earth and the moon.
David Denhard and SPACECOM’s top S&T list
Denhard told SSIB attendees that operations beyond geosynchronous Earth orbit (xGEO) and in cislunar space are on SPACECOM’s “what’s hot for tomorrow” list of S&T activities he approved earlier this month. He presented a seven-item chart showing cislunar and xGEO capabilities ranked third. Denhard and his chart repositioned those regions from speculative areas of interest to formal, near-term science and technology priorities for the command.
On-orbit mobility: “an order magnitude improvement” and novel propulsion
At the top of Denhard’s chart sits research aimed at achieving on-orbit mobility. He summarized the number-one goal as developing “technologies that enable an order magnitude improvement in mobility” including “novel” propulsion systems. “We want to be able to go to different orbits fast. We want to be able to go quickly to anywhere we need in a point of space,” Denhard said, signaling an emphasis on speed and maneuverability as cornerstones of future space operations.
Cislunar, xGEO: PNT limits, space domain awareness and offensive space control
Denhard tied the technical priorities to operational problems. From a PNT — positioning, navigation, and timing — perspective, he noted a capability gap: “you need timing in that area. You don’t get GPS signals very far out of GEO.” He also said SPACECOM wants “space domain awareness in that area; so, we want to know what our adversary is doing in GEO and beyond.” Importantly, he added an eventual operational aim: “And then, eventually, we want to exploit that space from an offensive sort of space control perspective.”
US doctrinal context and the Space Force April 2025 warfighting framework
The remarks fit within established doctrinal definitions. The source notes that US doctrinal publications define space control as including both defensive and offensive operations, and that the Space Force’s April 2025 warfighting framework further explains the concept includes waging orbital, electronic and cyber warfare. Denhard’s public comments therefore align the command’s S&T direction with existing definitions that encompass kinetic and non-kinetic options for shaping the space domain.
Responses from Peter Garretson and a SPACECOM spokesperson
Observers and the command itself framed Denhard’s statements as a marked shift. Peter Garretson, senior fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council and an advocate for cislunar operations, told Breaking Defense that Denhard’s statement was the first time he’d heard SPACECOM publicly acknowledge a future need for space control operations beyond GEO. Garretson wrote by email: “For the last seven years it has been pushing a wet noodle uphill … [I]t was just deflect and talk to the hand. This year, the remarks on cislunar are committed and all in. It’s a massive policy change.”
A SPACECOM spokesperson put the decision in operational terms: “Cislunar is part of USSPACECOM’s Area of Responsibility like any other region in the space domain. As such, we will execute all of our UCP responsibilities accordingly to ensure that the U.S., working alongside its allies and partners, has the freedom of action to operate in space and the ability to project power when and where required.” The source also links this shift in emphasis to President Donald Trump’s December Executive Order on space superiority, describing the renewed interest as an outgrowth of that policy direction.
How USSPACECOM, allies and China are positioned
- USSPACECOM and the Space Force: Denhard’s prioritized S&T agenda converts interest into approved activities, with mobility and cislunar capabilities now on a short list for development and experimentation.
- Allies and partners: The SPACECOM spokesperson framed cislunar work as part of ensuring “the U.S., working alongside its allies and partners, has the freedom of action” — indicating allied cooperation will be factored into operational planning and responsibilities.
- Chinese activities: Previously, officials had focused on cislunar monitoring “primarily aimed at keeping tabs on Chinese activities there.” Denhard’s comments and SPACECOM’s public framing suggest monitoring could be followed by capabilities that enable broader control or exploitation of the region.
Denhard’s public elevation of cislunar and xGEO S&T priorities — and the placement of rapid on-orbit mobility atop that list — signals a tangible pivot from observation to potential action. The command has moved from acknowledging a capability gap to approving a prioritized S&T agenda; the next concrete markers will be specific programs, demonstrations and procurement decisions that translate those priorities into hardware, timelines and operational concepts. How quickly those demonstrators and procurements follow, and what form “offensive” space control takes in the cislunar domain, remains the key unresolved question.
