Space mindset: understanding the future battlefield

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Benjamin Roth briefs Cadet 1st Class Matthew Sharkey at the U.S. Air Force Academy Observatory, April 29, 2025. An education with a space mindset focus increases cadet understanding of space assets. (U.S. Air Force photo by Trevor Cokley)

By Randy Roughton
U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – The Eisenhower Center for Space and Defense Studies created a program to develop a space mindset in cadets and infuse a more space-oriented perspective at the U.S. Air Force Academy. As an academy focused on the domains of air, space and cyber, cadets must develop air, space and cyber mindsets.

The initiative’s first event was a trip earlier this year for almost 75 cadets to U.S. Space Command at Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado. During the visit, cadets received classified intelligence and operations briefings and an unclassified mission overview that highlighted USSPACECOM’s role as a combatant command.

Learning space lessons

Cadet 1st Class Matthew Sharkey said the experience provided insight into Guardians’ work and mission. He noted U.S. Space Force Maj. Gen. Troy Endicott’s briefing during a visit to the Global Space Operations Center was especially impactful.

“The big lesson I learned was how complex space is and how ready the U.S. Space Force is in posturing and general readiness,” said Sharkey, a dual Foreign Area Studies and Political Science major. “The opportunity to engage directly with operational space leaders is very important. Hearing from leadership about the challenges we face and how we prepare for them allows me to conceptually understand the mission much better. It also helps me understand how space will help me in my future roles as well as how I can contribute to the space mission.”

More than 70 cadets pose for a photo outside Headquarters U.S. Space Command at Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado, Feb. 18, 2025. The trip, organized by the Eisenhower Center for Space and Defense Studies, advances the development of a space mindset in cadets. They received briefings on USSPACECOM’s role as a combatant command. (Courtesy photo provided by Lt. Col. Brian Yoakam)

Academy develops leaders with a space mindset

The Eisenhower Center is a hub for space policy research, national security scholarship and defense strategy discussions. Through center initiatives, cadets do not just learn about space policy; they engage in the conversations that shape it and develop a space mindset. Cadets have access to classified briefings, operational insights and real-world problem-solving. This hands-on approach links academia with space operations said U.S. Space Force Lt. Col. Brian Yoakam, Eisenhower Center deputy director.

“The program is not just about teaching space power,” Yoakam said. “It is shaping the next generation of space warfighters. We want to bridge the gap between the Academy and active-duty members in the fight. The Eisenhower Center is a good medium to do that and connect the challenges the warfighters have with the ways they can solve the problems through research, understanding and study at the Academy. We are trying to connect the cadets with operational leaders and real-world challenges.”

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Benjamin Roth briefs Cadet 2nd Class Piper Davenport, Cadet 1st Class Matthew Sharkey and Cadet 4th Class Jacob Smith on the U.S. Air Force Academy Observatory telescopes, April 29, 2025. An education with a space mindset focus increases cadet understanding of space assets. (U.S. Air Force photo by Trevor Cokley)

By immersing cadets in real-world space operations and connecting them with senior leaders, the Eisenhower Center shapes future officers into strategic thinkers for the space domain.
“As the program expands, it will continue to prepare cadets not just to understand space as a warfighting domain — but to lead in it,” Yoakam said.