Mastering the Ultimate High Ground. Next Steps in the Military Uses of Space
Abstract
This study assesses the military space challenges facing the Air Force and the nation in light of the watershed findings and recommendations of the congressionally mandated Space Commission that were released in January 2001. It seeks to capture the best thinking among those both in and out of uniform who have paid especially close attention to military space matters in recent years. After a review of the main milestones in the Air Force's ever-growing involvement in space since its creation as an independent service in 1947, the study examines the circumstances that occasioned the commission's creation by Congress in 1999, as well as some conceptual and organizational roadblocks both within and outside the Air Force that have long impeded a more rapid growth of U.S. military space capability. It concludes by exploring the most urgent space-related concerns now in need of Air Force attention. Although the study offers a number of suggestions for shifts in emphasis in U.S. military space policy, it is primarily analytical rather than prescriptive. As such, it aims more to promote a better understanding of the issues than to advocate specific policy recommendations.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2003
- Accession Number
- ADA416396
Entities
People
- Benjamin S. Lambeth
Organizations
- RAND Corporation