With more than 23 years of experience in technology, defense, intelligence and space in government and the private sector, Preston Dunlap is the civilian equivalent of a three-star general – the highest rank a civilian can achieve without being a Senate-confirmed political appointee. — Most recently, he served as the founding Chief Architect Officer of the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force, overseeing the architecture of more than $70 billion of programs.
The Space Force isn’t about weaponizing space, but about leveraging our ever-expanding universe of possibilities. It’s about enabling a free and stable space economy that includes the next generation of cyber, tech and economic innovation, plus the attraction of young talent, for the benefit of Earth and what lies beyond.
If you’re familiar with the iconic “to boldly go where no man has gone before,” you’re not just recalling the opening line of “Star Trek.” You’re also being introduced to the true mission of the United States Space Force.
If you’re under the impression the new Space Force initiated under the Trump presidency is all about blowing things up in space with laser beams, think again. The Space Force creates the conditions to enable the global economy to grow with new business and entrepreneurial opportunities in the universe’s final frontier.
Right now, talented men and women are entering into, and partnering with, the Space Force, not necessarily to expand America’s military might, but to empower our global economic and entrepreneurial outreach with stability and security. This new collaboration between the U.S. government and the private sector, is aggressively attracting some of the best Generation Z-talent from America’s top engineering colleges and universities.
Preston Dunlap, who until recently served as the founding Chief Architect Officer of both the U.S. Air Force and the newly created U.S. Space Force, said: “It’s been the honor of a lifetime to help our nation get desperately needed technology into the hands of our operators who place their lives on the line every day… and a privilege to infuse Silicon Valley mentality and speed into the largest organization on the planet, the Defense Department.”
Who Needs a Space Force Anyway?
Dunlap points out that the final frontier has been, and remains, an integral part of our everyday lives. It’s important, Dunlap believes, that space is not only easily accessed through reliable launches, but that we can freely and safely leverage “space capabilities that so many of us rely on every single day — like GPS when driving, communication and internet access like we are seeing be so critical in Ukraine, weather prediction, satellite imagery used in Google Maps and other industries, as well as so many other ways.”
More importantly, he adds, it’s been his goal to recognize that “just as it is down here on earth, U.S. military presence not only provides critical capabilities, but also underwrites the security and stability upon which the burgeoning space economy needs to thrive.”
According to Dunlap, the global economy is expanding and moving in directions never before explored. “As a global economy,” he explains, “we need to do more things in space, both for the benefit of earth and beyond.”
Expanding the Space Economy
Dunlap views the new space sector as a chance for flourishing global partnerships and business opportunities. Civilian astronauts conducting experiments, tourism and even living in space have, for the first time, become realistic long-term goals. Space-based manufacturing opens a new set of possibilities, too, because some things can be more efficiently and effectively constructed in a zero-gravity environment.
The private-business race-to-space has already blasted off and reached orbit by the entrepreneurial likes of mega billionaires Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos.
If you’re interested in partnering with a business enterprise that intends to thrive and expand in space, you need to get on board ASAP or, at the very least, begin educating yourself on the enormous financial and life-enhancing prospects space can offer.
Attracting Young Bold Talent
Dunlap believes federal budgets “can at times be overly focused on merely buying widgets or programs.” Expensive widgets, that is. But more of those funds could be used to leverage public/private partnerships in space, he notes.
A few years ago, Dunlap and Air Force Assistant Secretary Will Roper engineered new approaches to expanding partnerships with tech startups and venture capital firms known as AFWERX, SPACEWERX, and AFVentures with missions to discover and boost commercial entrants into the national security and space economy.
Within just two years, this approach brought in hundreds of private companies under contract that had previously not done business with the Department of the Air Force.
Dunlap says that the Space Force is currently “screaming” for new talent.
“So, the nice thing about the mission of the Space Force,” he notes, “is that it’s digital, it’s cutting edge, it’s exciting… and who wouldn’t want to be at the forefront of enabling peace, prosperity and stability in the face of an increasingly unstable world?”
“So, the nice thing about the mission of the Space Force,” he notes, “is that it’s digital, it’s cutting edge, it’s exciting… and who wouldn’t want to be at the forefront of enabling peace, prosperity and stability in the face of an increasingly unstable world?”
Striking a Chord with Gen Z
Generally speaking, the government doesn’t pay young talent the salaries the private sector can. But the Space Force offers something the private sector can’t: the most compelling mission to boldly go where no man or woman has gone before.
When it comes to partnering with the Space Force either as an individual or a private company, it’s not necessarily about the money. It’s about the mission. Although Dunlap has moved on to other ventures, he still believes that there is no workplace where, “as a single individual,” you can immerse yourself in more aspects of “the future world” than in the U.S. Defense Department and more specifically, the Space Force.
From a technology perspective, he adds, “we’re at the cutting edge of space, air and cyber operations, gaming, software and AI, and these are the skills that run through the veins of today’s new generation of digital talent.”
The Future of the Metaverse and the Space Force
When asked, “What is the future of the metaverse in the Space Force?” Dunlap’s view is that the metaverse is in its infancy, if not still in utero. Presently, there’s a lot of work to be done to get to “capabilities without clunkiness,” but the potential could be quite significant with a number of applications.
Of course, there’s already a sort-of-metaverse in the form of gaming, A.I.-aided simulation and 3D-enhanced training environments with complex scenarios constructed by software engineers.
Dunlap believes metaverse engineers are at the early stages of being able to move from the experiential toward something that naturally and intuitively revolves around all dimensions, one of which includes, you guessed it, space.
Are We Alone?
Dunlap may have moved on from the U.S. Air Force and Space Force, but he still firmly believes in its bold mission of solving extremely difficult problems with national and global security implications so all people can live and thrive in peace.
“Government can sometimes get a bad rap because it doesn’t always live up to its potential and like any large company too often moves way too slowly,” he says “But, I think the message of the Space Force and Air Force is it’s an exciting place that cares about harnessing technology. It cares about people. It cares about speed. And makes not only this planet, but beyond, a better place.”
This rather curious statement raises a fascinating final question: Are we alone in the universe?
For Preston Dunlap, a technologist and entrepreneur embodying the very definition of being ahead of his time, the answer is not yet a definitive yes. But he doesn’t deny the possibility either.
