Why Space Should Be a Separate Service
Abstract
Technological change has continually transformed the way mankind fights its wars. Bronze and steel brought the defeat of barbarians and the ascendance of Greece and Rome. The stirrup allowed the development of the mounted knight, who was in turn brought down by the development of the English longbow. Gunpowder came next, forever changing the battlefield, and the dramatic alterations brought along with the tank, and then the airplane, further matured it. Nuclear weapons and terrorism are the latest technological transformations. Next is the weaponization of space, which will likewise have a dramatic effect on the defining principles of warfare. In parallel to the argument for the separation of the Air Force from the Army in the early 1900s, the debate over a separate Space Service has come to the forefront of military discussion. Space Vision 2020 is clear: "During the early portion of the 21st century, space power will evolve into a separate and equal medium of warfare." Key doctrinal, technological, and organizational reforms indicate the United States needs to establish a separate Space Service in order to completely and economically introduce space-generated effects into the joint fight.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 06, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADA421657
Entities
People
- John D. Dumond
- Norman W. Barber
- Richard J. Douglass
Organizations
- National Defense University