Current National Space Security Trends and Implications for the Future
Abstract
Reliance and use by the military on various space-based forces have been on the increase during the past ten years, because of the increase of information required by and available to commanders. Although space has emerged as a vital political, economical, and military national interest, the development and deployment of replacement assets has been on the decrease. The only strategy being presented that addresses the needs of the military is for the outsourcing of space-based capabilities to the commercial sector. This action would require a move from solely government control and use of military satellite assets, to a system where private corporations, and possibly foreign governments, control assets and services the military requires. This paper addresses the question of whether the DoD's strategy to meet the military services' space-based force enhancement needs are sound by describing why space and the resources in space are of such vital interest to the United States, presenting the extent to which the military relies on space systems for command and control of its forces, analyzing whether the outsourcing space capability strategy is a viable alternative, and looking at space system replacement trends and reorganization efforts currently underway within the Department of Defense.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 09, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADA401672
Entities
People
- Frank P. Todd
Organizations
- United States Army War College