Leadership Dinner with Gen. Michael Guetlein, USSF

On Wednesday, July 2, nearly 400 intelligence, defense, and national security professionals gathered in McLean, VA, for a standing-room only Leadership Dinner with Gen. Michael Guetlein, Vice Chief of Space Operations, U.S. Space Force.  

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Following a lively welcome reception, Gen. Guetlein delivered a compelling address on the need to transform the nation’s space posture. He highlighted rising threats to the homeland and America’s increasing reliance on space for economic prosperity and national security. He called for a cultural shift built on transparent public-private partnerships and stronger collaboration with allies. Warning that geography no longer protects the homeland, he stressed that capable adversaries are already working to disrupt U.S. space systems. He challenged the audience to find ways to achieve the unity of effort seen in past conflicts—without waiting for a crisis to force it—urging the nation to adopt the mindset of September 12 without the tragedy of 9/11. He cautioned that the biggest obstacle is not technical or organizational but a lack of public will and urgency to act before it’s too late. 

General Guetlein then sat down with VADM Robert Sharp, USN (Ret.), for a moderated Q&A. Gen. Guetlein emphasized that partnerships are central to meeting the evolving challenges in the space domain. Drawing on his operational experience, he reflected that when deployed, it never mattered what uniform someone wore or which team they represented. What mattered was that everyone operated as one unified force. He expressed a desire to see that same collective mindset applied in peacetime, urging collaboration not only across military services, but also between government, industry, the American public, and international allies. The discussion addressed long-standing barriers such as classification and export controls, which often inhibit international cooperation and commercial engagement. With space accounting for only a small fraction of the Department of Defense budget, Gen. Guetlein stressed that no single entity can succeed alone. Instead, resilience must be built through early, intentional cooperation across sectors. Woven throughout the conversation was the concept behind Golden Dome, a vision for proactive, integrated defense that brings together the full spectrum of national and international partners before threats reach the homeland.