Space Force: Necessary to Maintain U.S. Strategic Dominance?
(Note: related companies are at base of the
story and all the sources listed in the “Balanced” section)
On February 19
th President Trump called for the creation of “Space Force,” a new U.S. Department of Defense branch. To reside as part of the Air Force, Space Force would control U.S. military operations in space. Space Policy Directive 4 directs the Defense Secretary to write a legislative proposal for Congress to set up the Space Force and create a civilian undersecretary of the Air Force for space. The Directive also re-commits the Trump Administration goal of creating Space Command, which would be a separate branch of the U.S. military. According to the Defense Intelligence Agency’s (DIA) Challenges to Security in Space, space-based capabilities provide integral support to military, commercial, and civilian applications. As longstanding technological and cost barriers to space have fallen, more countries and commercial firms are participating in satellite construction, space launch, space exploration, and human spaceflight.
The DIA report goes on to say, “Chinese and Russian military doctrines indicate that they view space as important to modern warfare and view counterspace capabilities as a means to reduce U.S. and allied military effectiveness.” Both reorganized their militaries in 2015, emphasizing the importance of space operations. Both have developed robust and capable space services, including space-based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. Both states are developing jamming and cyberspace capabilities, directed energy weapons, on-orbit capabilities, and ground-based antisatellite missiles that can achieve a range of reversible to nonreversible effects. Other nations, including North Korea and Iran, as well as non-state organizations, have develop and/or are developing similar capabilities.