The Great Space Force Debate

The Great Space Force Debate PDF

Author: Jordan M Johnson

Publisher: Nimble Books

Published: 2020-12-15

Total Pages: 108

ISBN-13: 9781608881994

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This meticulously researched master's thesis from a student at the Naval Postgraduate School, published in December 2019 and written prior to the formal establishment of United States Space Force, provides a thorough historical review of how the three major U.S. military branches--Army, Navy, and Air Force--have handled their responsibilities in the space domain. The author observes in his Abstract: The concept of a "Space Force" has been debated in rooms at the Pentagon, on social media, and even as a potential series on Netflix, yet space operations have been an integral part of the U.S. armed forces for about 40 years. U.S. interest in space began as an urgent move to prove our nation's competitiveness during the Cold War. Today, the initiative to have a Space Force is rooted in the nationalism of President Donald Trump. The Space Policy Directive-4 signed by Trump is waiting for congressional approval, so a historical review of the role of space within the U.S. military is needed. This thesis analyzes the roles the Army, Air Force, and Navy have already played within the combined space effort. Through this historical analysis, this study offers a comparative examination of the space interests of each of the three branches of service, showing how each defines and views space, and addresses space organization within the services. The study concludes that the Air Force Space Command should remain under the U.S. Air Force and be renamed the Space Corps with both United States Space Command and the Space Corps being the central chain of command for all the services. While the author's view did not prevail under the Trump Administration, the election of President Biden may reopen The Great Space Race Debate, making this author's research of continuing relevance. Five chapters, 355 footnotes, bibliography.

Space Capstone Publication Spacepower

Space Capstone Publication Spacepower PDF

Author: Us Government United States Space Force

Publisher:

Published: 2020-08-11

Total Pages: 80

ISBN-13:

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This book, Space Capstone Publication Spacepower: Doctrine for Space Forces, is capstone doctrine for the United States Space Force and represents our Service's first articulation of an independent theory of spacepower. This publication answers why spacepower is vital for our Nation, how military spacepower is employed, who military space forces are, and what military space forces value. In short, this capstone document is the foundation of our professional body of knowledge as we forge an independent military Service committed to space operations. Like all doctrine, the SCP remains subject to the policies and strategies that govern its employment. Military spacepower has deterrent and coercive capacities - it provides independent options for National and Joint leadership but achieves its greatest potential when integrated with other forms of military power. As we grow spacepower theory and doctrine, we must do so in a way that fosters greater integration with the Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. It is only by achieving true integration and interdependence that we can hope to unlock spacepower's full potential.

Distinguishing Space Power from Air Power: Implications for the Space Force Debate

Distinguishing Space Power from Air Power: Implications for the Space Force Debate PDF

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 1998

Total Pages: 65

ISBN-13:

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Air Force General Charles Chuck Horner, former commander of U.S. Space Command, advocates the creation of an independent Space Force, separate from the Air Force. Justifications for such a change depend in large measure on whether space power can provide a way of fighting and winning wars distinct from that provided by the other services. An important aspect of this issue is whether differences between air power and space power suggest a rationale for a separate and independent Space Force. It has been said that space is at a crossroads. 2 We cannot afford to wait for the next war to show us if space power will, as air power did, revolutionize the conduct of warfare. We cannot make such a decision based on vague allegories to the air power debate. A more rigorous approach is required. This paper sheds light on this question from the perspective of doctrine and theory and seeks to suggest the next steps in keeping the U.S. approach to space from being too badly wrong. 3 This research project critically compares air and space power in order to discern whether the differences between air and space power suggest a paradigm shift in the way wars will be fought. As a foundation for comparison, air and space power are exposed in terms of features of the mediums, characteristics of the forces, and tenets of employing forces in each medium. The resulting expositions of air and space power are compared, extracting and evaluating the key differences. These differences are then explored to determine if a new paradigm of warfighting is emerging. Finally, the differences between air and space power and their implications for warfighting are examined with respect to the need for a separate and independent Space Force. The finding of this project was that air and space power are indeed different, but not so fundamentally so that the creation of a separate Space Force is mandated.

A Separate Space Force: an 80-Year-Old Argument

A Separate Space Force: an 80-Year-Old Argument PDF

Author: Chaplain Colonel Usaf Mi Whittington

Publisher: CreateSpace

Published: 2012-09-24

Total Pages: 26

ISBN-13: 9781479381821

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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 we-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, or course, it that these arguments, which helped created an independent air force in 1947, are challenged by many within today's Air Force leadership, which leads Colonel Whittington to ask, "if there were cogent in 1920, would they not be relevant today?" Interestingly, the author, though a professional Air Force officer, is neither a space operators nor a pilot. Colonel Whittington's purpose is not to propose a separate space force but rather to provide the reader with an unbiased perspective of the arguments for and against. Though all agree that aerospace power is at a critical juncture, senior leaders are divided as to which direction the Air Force should pursue regarding space. Space separatists want space warfare freed from control of "air" commanders, argue that space power doctrine cannot be built upon airpower doctrine, contend that space is a wholly different technological medium, and want to free space funding from competition with Air Force fighter and bomber programs. Whichever road is taken - whether a separate space force or an Air Force with a greater emphasis in space - the shift from an airpower to a space power culture is inevitable. And, when this shift occurs, the author argues, the Air Force "would do well to remember its own history."

The U.S. Air Force in Space, 1945 to the Twenty-First Century: Proceedings

The U.S. Air Force in Space, 1945 to the Twenty-First Century: Proceedings PDF

Author: Air Force Historical Foundation. Symposium

Publisher: Department of the Air Force

Published: 1998-09-02

Total Pages: 216

ISBN-13:

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Contains papers presented at the Air Force Historical Foundation Symposium, held at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, on September 21-22, 1995. Topics addressed are: Pt. 1, The Formative Years, 1945-1961; Pt. 2, Mission Development and Exploitation Since 1961; and Pt. 3, Military Space Today and Tomorrow. Includes notes, abbreviations & acronyms, an index, and photographs.

War in Space

War in Space PDF

Author: Linda Dawson

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2019-01-14

Total Pages: 206

ISBN-13: 3319930524

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With the recent influx of spaceflight and satellite launches, the region of outer space has become saturated with vital technology used for communication and surveillance and the functioning of business and government. But what would happen if these capabilities were disrupted or even destroyed? How would we react if faced with a full-scale blackout of satellite communications? What can and has happened following the destruction of a satellite? In the short term, the aftermath would send thousands of fragments orbiting Earth as space debris. In the longer term, the ramifications of such an event on Earth and in space would be alarming, to say the least. This book takes a look at such crippling scenarios and how countries around the world might respond in their wake. It describes the aggressive actions that nations could take and the technologies that could be leveraged to gain power and control over assets, as well as to initiate war in the theater of outer space. The ways that a country's vital capabilities could be disarmed in such a setting are investigated. In addition, the book discusses our past and present political climate, including which countries currently have these abilities and who the aggressive players already are. Finally, it addresses promising research and space technology that could be used to protect us from those interested in destroying the world's vital systems.

A Separate Space Force

A Separate Space Force PDF

Author: Kurt S. Story

Publisher:

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13:

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Space systems are fundamental to modern military operations and national security. They play a central role in the ongoing revol.

The United States Space Force and the Future of American Space Policy

The United States Space Force and the Future of American Space Policy PDF

Author: Jeremy Grunert

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2022-10-17

Total Pages: 310

ISBN-13: 9004524061

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Since 1957, U.S. space policy has grappled with the question: should the space domain be governed by developing international law, or openly weaponized for national security? Has the creation of the Space Force settled this tension once and for all?

A Separate Space Force

A Separate Space Force PDF

Author: Michael C. Whittington

Publisher:

Published: 2000

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13:

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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?