A Separate Space Force. An 80-Year-Old Argument

Abstract

Since the end of the Gulf War, the debate over whether there should be a separate space service, equal with the Air Force, Army, and Navy. has grown in proportion to the indispensable value of space operations to our nation's defense. Increasing dependency on space-systems is a fact of military life. In this well-documented essay, Col Michael C. Whittington compares the leading arguments for a separate space force to the cogent arguments for an independent air force made by airpower advocates during the interwar years of 1920-1940. The airpower issues in 1920 and the space power issues of today are strikingly similar, revolving around four key issues: leadership, doctrine, technology, and funding. The irony, of course, is that these arguments, which helped create an independent air force in 1947, are challenged by many within today's Air Force leadership, which leads Colonel Whittington to ask, If they were cogent in 1920, would they not be relevant today?

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 01, 2000
Accession Number
ADA378853

Entities

People

  • Michael C. Whittington

Organizations

  • Air War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Air Power
  • Aircrafts
  • Artificial Satellites
  • Commerce
  • Department Of Defense
  • Global Positioning Systems
  • Military Aviation
  • Military Organizations
  • National Security
  • Reconnaissance Satellites
  • Satellite Constellations
  • Space Force
  • Space Systems
  • United States
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Aerospace Engineering.
  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.

Technology Areas

  • Space