Gen. John Raymond, Commander of U.S. Space Command, Inducted Into 2020 Wash100 for Strengthening Warfighter Readiness, Pushing for U.S. Space Force

John Raymond

Executive Mosaic is honored to announce Gen. John Raymond, commander of U.S. Space Command within the U.S. Air Force, as an inductee into the 2020 edition of the Wash100 Award for leading the nation’s Space Command, strengthening readiness for warfighters and pushing for a U.S. Space Force unit.

This marks Raymond’s first Wash100 Award. He was confirmed by the Senate in June to assume leadership of Space Command three months after his nomination. At his confirmation hearing, Raymond said he would prioritize the transition of the command and control assets that support the country’s joint force on a daily basis.

“Simultaneously we need to ensure we take steps to strengthen readiness and lethality as we complete our shift from a permissive environment to a posture for warfighting,” he added.

In September, Raymond ordered the establishment of two subordinate commands – Joint Task Force Space Defense and Combined Force Space Component Command – to oversee global space operations.

“It’s important to understand that, like all nations, we have the inherent right of self-defense, so purposeful interference with space assets vital to our national security will be met by leveraging our multi-domain capabilities across air, land, sea, cyber and space, and all of our instruments of national power,” Raymond said.

In a speech at a Mitchell Institute event, Raymond supported the creation of a Space Force and called on Congress to pass the National Defense Authorization Act to facilitate the sixth military branch’s establishment.

“Our nation needs a Space Force,” he said at the event. “Space fuels our American way of war. Space fuels the American way of life. … We need to articulate what space capabilities do for our nation and we’re doing that every chance we can.”

In November, he announced plans to come up with a “campaign plan for space” and focus on deploying intelligence capabilities. He said the plan will focus on identifying needed resources and defining the command’s legal authorities to carry out operations and that he is working with the Pentagon to establish the command’s “space operational authorities” in compliance with the Space Policy Directive-4.

“We’ll get additional authorities,” Raymond said. “We’ve put those together, and I’m very hopeful that those will be approved here in the very near term.”

Raymond offered updates on the proposed campaign plan in December. “We are finalizing our campaign plan for space and we expect that campaign plan will be done in by February,” he noted. He added that his command signed agreements with various countries regarding the sharing of space data for situational awareness.

On Dec. 20, the president signed the fiscal 2020 NDAA authorizing the creation of the Space Force. Weeks prior to that, Raymond told SpaceNews that the establishment of the new service branch would help the country better protect its satellites.

“And just as U.S. Space Command has a singular focus on the war fighting aspect of space, having a Space Force with a singular focus on the space domain will be hugely, hugely helpful to us,” said Raymond, who also serves as chief of space operations within the Space Force. “This is really an exciting time to be in the space business. There’s a lot happening and it’s really an important time for the security of our nation.”

Executive Mosaic congratulates the U.S. Air Force and Gen. John Raymond on his 2020 Wash100 Award selection. His drive to lead the U.S. Space Command, ensure its future with the Space Force and strengthen warfighter readiness has led Gen. Raymond to be one of the top members of the government contracting community.

About The Wash100

This year represents our sixth annual Wash100 Award selection. The Wash100 is the premier group of private and public sector leaders selected by Executive Mosaic’s organizational and editorial leadership as the most influential leaders in the GovCon sector. These leaders demonstrate skills in leadership, innovation, achievement, and vision.

Visit the Wash100 site to learn about the other 99 winners of the 2020 Wash100 Award. On the site, you can submit your 10 votes for the GovCon executives of consequence that you believe will have the most significant impact in 2020.