Emerging Satellite Imaging Capabilities and Its Impact on U.S. Military Operations
Abstract
Future U.S. military operations will likely take place with adversaries having access to satellite imagery previously only available to U.S. and Soviet leadership. This change is the result of the rapid improvement in quality and quantity of satellite imagery available from commercial sources. The impact these improvements will have on the capability of commercial imagery to impact future military operations will be profound. Adversaries will be able to observe previously denied geographic areas, see smaller objects, locates these objects more accurately, and observe locations more frequently. U.S. operational commanders and planners will have to account for these capabilities in their operational plans or risk significant losses and potential operational failure. The operational techniques used to effectively deal with these capabilies range from legally restricting satellite access to synchronizing operations with satellite operations. These adaptations will require operational commanders to recognize the risk generated by these systems and the access to them by likely future adversaries of the U.S.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 18, 1998
- Accession Number
- ADA351634
Entities
People
- David W Taylor
Organizations
- Naval War College