Space Protection Program
Abstract
Growing dependence on space and demonstrated vulnerabilities have highlighted the need to actively plan for and respond to threats against national security space effects and deliver informed options to national leaders and system acquirers. Due to the asymmetric nature of the threat environment, it is increasingly imperative that the Nation take quick action to remain ahead of threats and progressively evolve our approach as those threats evolve. In response to these needs, the AF and National Reconnaisance Office (NRO) formed a strategic partnership and leveraged a combination of Department of Defense (DoD) and Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) resources in March 2008 to establish and execute the Space Protection Program (SPP); a joint, enduring program to develop and execute an integrated protection approach for the Nation covering all defense, intelligence, civil, commercial and allied space systems. The SPP is a core protection competency that unifies and integrates AF, NRO, DoD and Intelligence Community (IC) activities to deliver strategic recommendations and options to senior leaders and inform their decisions on how best to protect our space systems and stay ahead of an increasingly sophisticated threat environment. The DoD/AF portion of this program is consolidated under a dedicated Program Element Code to: streamline DoD SPP activities under a single appropriation; clearly categorize/convey the DoD investment in SPP; and provide visibility/transparency to AF, DoD, Congress and other offices with equities in space protection. A fully-functioning SPP effort allows for the active planning, comprehensive analysis and timely delivery of products, tools and recommendations to respond to threats against national security space effects and deliver independent and informed options to national leaders and system acquirers. This includes the key element of providing Combatant Commanders (COCOM) a range of mitigation options which are cross-domain, integrated and aimed at preserving space effects for warfighting missions. The FY13 President’s Budget request represents a minimum level required to operate and execute a synchronized and effective space protection effort for the Nation. The FY13 request preserves the skill-set, knowledge base and multi-organizational construct required to remain ahead of threats and to evolve programmatic direction and Concept of Operations (CONOPS) across multiple orbital regimes in a way that minimizes duplication and inefficiency. To that end, SPP will provide a central focus for unifying and integrating Title 10/50 roles and responsibilities (AF and NRO efforts) to deliver research, analysis, studies, tools and capabilities necessary to identify, prioritize, and develop the most effective and economical recommendations for space protection options to preserve national space capabilities and guide/influence future requirements, acquisitions, Science and Technology (S&T) research and investment focus areas. Specifically, SPP’s FY13 efforts involve a diligent focus on identifying/defining threats, determining National Security Space (NSS) vulnerabilities to clarify threat impacts and developing corresponding opportunities to reduce or altogether mitigate the threats. This will involve dedicated protection program activities centered on Ops Engagement, development/refinement of specific protection measures coming out of technical vulnerability assessments, instituting key cyber initiatives for space protection, completing the delivery/transition of the space capabilities and interdependencies database, coordinating strategic space protection communication strategies, and specific engagement in Indications & Warning (I&W) and Space Situational Awareness (SSA) architecture assessments/modeling. SPP's focus on Ops Engagement provides unique space protection analytic capabilities to support the COCOM's ability to prepare to operate in a degraded space environment; providing analyses of COCOM space dependencies, vulnerabilities and consequence of loss, and the ability to develop and test mitigation options for evaluation in COCOM exercises. SPP will provide space protection subject matter experts and analysis to participate in all phases of crucial exercises and wargames; improving the validity of event and influencing future requirements, acquisitions, budgets and operations. The program will then leverage the key conclusions and recommendations coming out of each of these events to develop recommended courses of action (COAs) such as those outlined in the WARNORD for Space Operations, CONOPS, Tactics Techniques & Procedures (TTPs) and strategic protection strategies (based on additional SPP research, analysis and validation). SPP intends to continue its efforts to deliver operational warfighting capabilities that attribute and defeat attacks on space systems through specific, focused defense initiatives which maintain our inherent right of self defense in space and deny the benefit of attack to our adversaries. The program also plans to expand its focus to include assessments of non-space related effects that would ensure the survivability of space assets and institute key defense initiatives to address vulnerabilities in multiple orbit regimes. Cyber effects will become a larger focus of SPP, and the program will focus on the delivery of tools and capabilities to the operational community within the DOD and the IC; further integrating cyberspace into the National Infrastructure Protection Framework. SPP will make recommendations to improve and operationalize a limited set of cyber capabilities in 2013, and will continue to investigate other utilities and opportunities in the years that follow. SPP will continue to leverage resident space protection intelligence expertise to identify and anticipate threats to space systems. Key efforts in this area include analysis and inputs to provide specific detailed direction to intelligence agencies on crucial intelligence data collection/analysis and providing comprehensive and accurate threat impact assessments. In coordination with NRO and AFSPC acquisition and requirements communities, SPP will perform analyses and assessments to identify options to enhance the survivability and effectiveness of specific architectures. SPP will work with the community to build integrated architectures for I&W and SSA in order to develop recommendations to support requirement development, budget formulation, and/or technical performance requirements across Title 10/50 organizations. This program is in Budget Activity 4, Advanced Component Development and Prototypes (ACD&P) because efforts are necessary to evaluate integrated technologies, representative modes or prototype systems in a high fidelity and realistic operating environment.
Document Details
- Document Type
- R2 Budgetary Justification
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2013
- Source ID
- 0603830F_4_3600_PB_2013
- Change Summary Explanation
- FY11: -$0.043M for Congressional General Reductions. FY12: -$2.5M for Congressional Directed Reduction, excess to need. FY12: -$0.020M for Congressional General Reductions.
- Service Agency Name
- Air Force
Entities
Organizations
- United States Air Force
Related Documents
- Child Project: Space Protection Program
- Child Accomplishment: Program Objectives Support
- Child Accomplishment: Oversight/advisory Support
- Child Accomplishment: Program support/infrastructure