Left, Air Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein, Gen. John Hyten, outgoing commander of Air Force Space Command, and Gen. John Raymond salute during the National Anthem, Oct. 25, 2016 at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. Raymond took command of AFSPC minutes later. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Tech. Sgt. David Salanitri)

Satcom provider Astranis welcomed retired four-star Gen. John E. Hyten as chairman of a new strategic advisory board, effective immediately, the company announced on Thursday.

The company said Hyten, a former vice chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, would advise its leadership team on strategic, business, and technological matters. His appointment, it said, reflects Astranis’ expanded role as a partner to the United States government and defense community.

“Astranis is uniquely positioned to drive a strategic shift to smaller, proliferated space systems in higher orbits,” Hyten commented. “Their progress over the past several years is impressive and the company’s technology represents innovative and resilient capabilities that I see playing a large role in advancing U.S. strategic interests. I look forward to working with John and his team.”

As head of U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM) in 2017, Hyten made waves in the space industry when he said he opposed the procurement of large, intricate systems in favor of cheaper, more resilient solutions that are easier to repair and replace.

“As a combatant commander, I won’t support the development any further of large, big, fat, juicy targets,” Hyten said. “I won’t support that. We are going to go down a different path. And we have to go down that path quickly.”

Hyten’s “big, fat, juicy targets” dictum has since been quoted by analysts and commentators to argue about systemic flaws in older space infrastructure.

Hyten has also served as Commander of the Air Force Space Command, the precursor to the U.S. Space Force. As the head of STRATCOM, he was responsible for the readiness, movements and strike capabilities of the United States’ nuclear arsenal.

Last August, the Space Force selected Astranis as a prime contractor for its Protected Tactical Satcom Global (PTS-G) program.