Integrity ISR’s ISR Debrief Podcast looks at why space power is most at risk on the ground

Senior Vice President, Global Solutions, Integrity ISR

Ukraine’s reported strike on Russian rocket production shows why launch sites, supply chains, cyber systems, industry and workforce matter to national security.

FREDRICKSBURG, VA, UNITED STATES, September 30, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The latest episode of Integrity ISR Debrief Podcast brings together experienced space and intelligence professionals to discuss a key question for military and national security leaders: Are nations focusing too much on protecting satellites and not enough on the ground infrastructure that enables space power?

Episode 4, “Why Space Power Is Most Vulnerable on the Ground,” features Chad Hartman, Senior Vice President for Global Solutions at Integrity ISR, talking with Greg Gillinger, Ron Lerch, and Alison Sayer. Recorded in Los Angeles, their in-person discussion uses current conflicts and global events to question traditional ideas about space resilience and the future of counterspace operations.

The panel starts with Ukraine’s reported strike on Russia’s Progress Rocket Space Center and explores how adversaries might increasingly target the infrastructure needed to build, launch, maintain, and run space capabilities.

Rather than focusing only on satellites in orbit, the discussion looks at potential weak points in rocket factories, launch sites, supply chains, communications, cyber systems, industry, and the skilled workforce behind space operations.

“Space power doesn’t begin in orbit. It begins on the ground.” — Chad Hartman.

The episode suggests that real space resilience means considering the whole system that supports access to and operations in space.

“Everyone expects a conversation about satellites when we talk about protecting space capabilities,” Hartman said. “But the larger question is what happens when an adversary targets the factories, launch infrastructure, supply networks, cyber systems, or people required to put those satellites into orbit and keep the mission operating.”

The discussion also looks at how modern conflicts might broaden what we consider counterspace operations. Rather than only actions against spacecraft, national security planners may need to consider threats to the industrial, logistical, digital, and human infrastructure that supports space capabilities.

Among the questions explored in the episode:

How vulnerable are rocket production and launch facilities?

What happens when critical space supply chains are disrupted?

Are cyber and communications systems becoming increasingly important counterspace targets?

How quickly can nations replace specialized infrastructure or skilled personnel?

Should industrial capacity and workforce resilience play a larger role in space security planning?

How should military and national security organizations redefine resilience when threats can occur far from orbit?

Watch The ISR Debrief: Episode 4

Why Space Power Is Most Vulnerable on the Ground | ISR Debrief Episode 4. Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-Xm7fs6OGE

About the Participants

Chad Hartman
Senior Vice President, Global Solutions, Integrity ISR

Chad Hartman is Senior Vice President of Global ISR Solutions at Integrity ISR and a retired U.S. Air Force intelligence colonel. During his military career, he served in various intelligence leadership roles, including as NATO’s Targeting and Collection Management Authority. He brings extensive experience in intelligence, targeting, ISR operations, and national security problem-solving.

Greg Gillinger
Senior Vice President, Strategy & Development, Integrity ISR

Greg Gillinger serves as Senior Vice President of Strategy and Development at Integrity ISR. A retired Air Force intelligence professional with 26 years of service, his career included strategic intelligence and space operations assignments, including leadership roles within the 14th Air Force and the Combined Space Operations Center, as well as service supporting the National Security Council. He also created The Integrity Flash.

Ron Lerch
Retired U.S. Space Force Chief Master Sergeant, Contributor to the Integrity Flash

Ron Lerch is a retired U.S. Space Force Chief Master Sergeant with more than 23 years of experience in space and counterspace intelligence. Throughout his career, he supported military space operations and intelligence efforts focused on emerging threats and space domain security.

Alison Sayer
Air Force Veteran and Space Security Analyst, Contributor to the Integrity Flash

Alison Sayer is an Air Force veteran with more than two decades of experience in intelligence and strategic analysis. Her work has focused on space security, counterspace threats, and the evolving challenges facing the space domain.

About the ISR Debrief Podcast

The ISR Debrief brings together experienced professionals in intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, defense, and national security for open discussions about the challenges shaping today’s security environment. Through talks with practitioners and experts, the series looks at new threats, changing missions, workforce needs, and lessons for the next generation of intelligence professionals.

About Integrity ISR

Integrity ISR provides intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, space, targeting, education, training, and national security solutions developed by experienced practitioners. Through consulting, training, and education capabilities, Integrity ISR helps government, military, academic, and industry professionals address evolving operational challenges.

Rhonda Sheya
Sheya PR & Marketing
+1 720-594-8062
rhonda.sheya@integrityisr.com
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Integrity ISR’s ISR Debrief looks at why space power is most at risk on the ground