Opening Reception; Congressional and International Partners Dinner Launch Strategic Space Symposium

The Strategic Space Symposium got off to a grand start on Nov. 2 with an Oktoberfest-themed Opening Reception in the AMERICOM Government Services (AGS) Exhibit Center. Welcomed by Space Foundation CEO Elliot Pulham, Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle, United States Strategic Command Commander Gen. Kevin Chilton, USAF, and AGS President and CEO Brig. Gen. Tip Osterthaler, USAF (Retired), guests mingled among the almost 40 exhibits, reconnecting with acquaintances, making new business connections, and discussing the upcoming Symposium.

Then, at the Congressional and International Partners Dinner, co-sponsored by CISCO Systems, Inc., and Intelsat General Corporation, the Space Foundation recognized attending Congressional staff members and a diverse group of international military and space leaders: 

• Brig. Gen. Yves Arnaud, commander, French Joint Space Command, French Ministry of Defence General Staff
• Maj. Gen. Stuart Beare, chief of force development, National Defence, Canada
• Lt. Col. Shlomo Feder, head of Space Branch, Israeli Air Force
• OE Hiroshi, director general for International Affairs, Bureau of Defense Policy, Ministry of Defense, Japan
• Air Commodore David Steele, air attache, Embassy of Australia, Australian Department of Defence
• Air Commodore Jan van Hoof, assistant director capabilities, NATO's Joint Air Power Competence Centre at Kalkar in Germany

Presented through a Space Foundation/United States Strategic Command partnership, the Strategic Space Symposium runs through Nov. 4 at the Qwest Center Omaha in Omaha, Neb. More than 1,800 attendees, speakers, exhibitors, and sponsors are on hand for the program that features high-level government and military leaders from the U.S. Strategic Command, the National Reconnaissance Office, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the Department of Defense, the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Army, DARPA, Joint Functional Component Commands, the European, Northern, Southern and Special Operations Commands, the Space Foundation, The Aerospace Corporation, AMERICOM Government Services, GeoEye, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Orbital Sciences, and Raytheon.

Much of the event is made possible through the support of a number of major sponsors and co-sponsors:

• Space News: Exclusive Media Partner
• AMERICOM Government Services: Exhibit Center and hotel key cards sponsor
• Northrop Grumman: Nov. 3 Keynote Luncheon and Dessert sponsor; badge holder sponsor
• Raytheon: Nov. 4 Luncheon - Warfighter Perspectives sponsor
• Boeing: Nov. 3 Honoring the Men and Women of USSTRATCOM Reception sponsor
• Analytical Graphics, Inc.: Official software sponsor
• ATK: Portfolio sponsor
• AVIATION WEEK: Cyberspace Center and Exhibitor Lounge sponsor
• Bellevue (Nebraska) Chamber of Commerce: Nov. 4 Networking Breakfast sponsor
• CISCO Systems, Inc.: Congressional and International Partners Dinner co-sponsor
• CSC: Note jotter sponsor
• CSP Associates: Nov. 3 Networking Breakfast sponsor
• Defense Systems: Coffee Station sponsor
• Intelsat General Corporation: Congressional and International Partners Dinner co-sponsor
• Integral Systems, Inc.: Nov. 4 Dessert Buffet Sponsor
• Lockheed Martin: Student tours and Teacher Space Seminar co-sponsor
• ManTech: Pen sponsor
• NASA Nebraska Space Grant: Student tours and Teacher Space Seminar co-sponsor
• SpaceX: Pocket program agenda sponsor
• Sterling Computers: Wireless Internet service sponsor

For more details on the Strategic Space Symposium, including agenda and speakers, click here.

About USSTRATCOM
Located at Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha, Neb., U.S. Strategic Command is one of ten unified commands in the Department of Defense. The command headquarters represents all four services, including Department of Defense civilians and contractors, and oversees the command's operationally focused global strategic mission. USSTRATCOM integrates and coordinates the necessary command and control capability to provide support with the most accurate and timely information for the President, the Secretary of Defense, other National Leadership, and regional combatant commanders. The missions of U.S. Strategic Command are to deter attacks on U.S. vital interests, to ensure U.S. freedom of action in space and cyberspace, to deliver integrated kinetic and non-kinetic effects to include nuclear and information operations in support of U.S. Joint Force Commander operations, to synchronize global missile defense plans and operations, to synchronize regional combating of weapons of mass destruction plans, to provide integrated surveillance and reconnaissance allocation recommendations to the SECDEF, and to advocate for capabilities as assigned.

About the Space Foundation
The Space Foundation is an international, nonprofit organization and the foremost advocate for all sectors of the space industry - civil, commercial, and national security. Founded in 1983, the Space Foundation is a leader in space awareness activities, educational programs that bring space into the classroom, and major industry events, all in support of its mission "to advance space-related endeavors to inspire, enable, and propel humanity." An expert in all aspects of the global space industry, the Space Foundation publishes The Space Report 2009: The Authoritative Guide to Global Space Activity and provides threeindices that track daily performance of the space industry. In addition to the Strategic Space Symposium, the Space Foundation will sponsor the 26th National Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colo., April 12-15, 2010. Headquartered in Colorado Springs, the Space Foundation conducts research and analysis and government affairs activities from its Washington, D.C., office and has field representatives in Houston, Texas, and Cape Canaveral, Fla. For more information, visit www.SpaceFoundation.org. Follow us on Twitter: SpaceFoundation and read about the latest space news and Space Foundation activities in Space Watch (November issue just out!).

No federal endorsement of the Space Foundation or any of its members or affiliates is intended or implied. Sponsorship agreements are with the Space Foundation for programs and materials supplied by the Space Foundation.
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