Space Countersurveillance: A Requisite for Theater Defense Planning
Abstract
The first space war has been successfully fought hundreds of miles above the sands of the Middle East, and U.S. space warriors are now contemplating future conflicts and how space can better contribute to operational success on the battlefield. However, the lessons of U.S. space dominance during Desert Storm also received much attention from other nations -- many of which U.S. forces may someday face in a future skirmish. These nations have learned the value of space assets and are busily seeking to acquire a space surveillance capability of their own. The U.S. national military strategy calls for its forces to exercise space control and deny potential enemies use of the space medium when necessary -- but does the U.S. possess the weapons and plans to successfully accomplish this task? This paper examines both U.S. and enemy capabilities in the space warfare realm. Further, it suggests that the U.S. can better organize its space warfare personnel under a Space Component Commander concept to successfully accomplish the space countersurveillance mission at the theater level of operational warfare.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 17, 1993
- Accession Number
- ADA266871
Entities
People
- Donald A. Meyer
Organizations
- Naval War College