UP FRONT.

• Author: Magnuson, Stew

Marine Corps Commandant: Indo-Pacific Doesn't Need a 'NATO'

* Marines Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger said it is "impractical" to create a NATO-like body for partners in the Indo-Pacific, despite the communication challenges the military faces in the region.

Relationships with strategic allies can be built on a bilateral basis, he said at a CSIS and U.S. Naval Institute event.

With the "nature of the countries" in the region, there is not a NATO-equivalent organization and developing one would not solve information-sharing needs, he said.

"As the U.S., we just want the one size fits all," he said. "Well, if you've never been operating there for 20, 30 years, you realize that's an impractical approach."

In the past 18 to 24 months, the emerging partnership between India, Japan, the United States and Australia--also known as the Quad alliance--is "a great dung" and could be an example for other Indo-Pacific relationships, he added.

Berger pointed to an upcoming exercise this fall where the Marine Corps F-35B joint strike fighter will fly off a Japanese ship as the "beginning steps" of building a solid communication architecture.

For more on the Marines, see article on page 24.

Spacecom Invokes 'Dr. Strangelove'

* Over-classification of the Pentagon's space capabilities undermines deterrence, suggested Rear Adm. Michael Bernacchi, director of strategy, plans and policy, J5, at U.S. Space Command.

"On a submarine, everybody knows we have torpedoes," he said at the recent Space Symposium. "That's not a secret. Obviously, we have some highly classified systems on a submarine, but the enemy understands that we have advanced torpedoes that will kill them. In space, I can't say anything" about U.S. capabilities.

"We have to get to the point where at least we can say, you know, there is something," he added, invoking the need for "a little Dr. Strangelove"--a reference to the iconic film character who said deterrence requires nations to tell adversaries about the types of weapons they possess. There needs to be a "happy medium" between preserving necessary secrecy and revealing what kind of punch the United States can deliver in space, Bernacchi said.

Number of Active Satellites Doubled During Pandemic

* Thousands of satellites have been launched over the course of the pandemic, the Space Force's chief of operations said.

The last time the annual Space Symposium in Colorado was held in person in April 2019 there were about 2,100 active satellites...