Joint Space Forces in Theater: Coordination is No Longer Sufficient

Abstract

The role of space operations in the United States military has matured significantly since the end of the Cold War. The transformation from strategic applications to tactical integration has increased the demands for effects achievable through joint space capabilities on and off the battlefield. The explosive growth of and demand for joint space capabilities have outstripped the joint community's ability to provide unifying doctrine and a command and control structure to meet the demands. Consequently, the military services have independently developed solutions and doctrine to meet the needs of their respective joint force component commander. The thesis of this research is the US military must create a jointly focused command and control organization to meet the Joint Force Commander's growing demand for synchronized joint space capabilities. Although joint doctrine addresses the need for a space coordinating authority (SCA) separate from a commander to achieve space superiority, it does not provide sufficient joint authority to effectively execute the SCA role. Consequently, the Joint Force Air Component Commander has attempted to combine the roles in the Joint Air Operations Center resulting in a less than optimum integration of space into US joint warfighting. To establish clear lines of authority and enable a joint forces wide perspective of space power, a Joint Space Synchronization Authority supported by a Joint Space Synchronization Officer, Theater Space Integration Cell, and Joint Space Superiority Cell is proposed. While these organizations could operate independently of each other at different locations, the greatest synergy is obtained by co-locating them in a Joint Space Integration Division in the JAOC. This construct allows for a jointly recognized and focused approach to space force synchronization and integration across all components.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 01, 2007
Accession Number
ADA468768

Entities

People

  • Brian K. Livergood

Organizations

  • National Defense University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • C4I
  • Cyber
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Combat Areas
  • Combatant Commanders
  • Command And Control
  • Command And Control Systems
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Military Force Levels
  • Military Organizations
  • Military Science
  • National Security
  • Organizational Structure
  • Situational Awareness
  • Space Systems
  • United States Central Command
  • United States Northern Command
  • United States Strategic Command
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Aerospace Engineering.
  • Joint Military Operations and Doctrine.

Technology Areas

  • Fully Networked C3
  • Fully Networked C3 - Command and Control
  • Space