A careful reading of President Trump’s Space Policy Directive 4 finds that it goes far beyond simply calling for the creation of a U.S. Space Force. More importantly, it calls for the creation of true American human spacefaring capabilities, advanced to-space and in-space human spaceflight capabilities, and an integrated American astrologistics infrastructure serving military, commercial, civil, and personal spaceflight needs. In this post, I comment on the parts of the directive highlighting challenges ahead for the organization of the U.S. Space Force and how President Trump is putting America firmly on the path to become a true human spacefaring nation.
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February 19, 2019
Space Policy Directive-4
MEMORANDUM FOR THE VICE PRESIDENT
THE SECRETARY OF STATE
THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE
THE SECRETARY OF LABOR
THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION
THE SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY
THE DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET
THE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE
THE ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT FOR NATIONAL SECURITY AFFAIRS
THE DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY
THE CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF
THE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
THE DEPUTY ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT FOR HOMELAND SECURITY AND COUNTERTERRORISM
SUBJECT: Establishment of the United States Space Force
Section 1. Introduction. Space is integral to our way of life, our national security, and modern warfare. Although United States space systems have historically maintained a technological advantage over those of our potential adversaries, those potential adversaries are now advancing their space capabilities and actively developing ways to deny our use of space in a crisis or conflict. It is imperative that the United States adapt its national security organizations, policies, doctrine, and capabilities to deter aggression and protect our interests. Toward that end, the Department of Defense shall take actions under existing authority to marshal its space resources to deter and counter threats in space, and to develop a legislative proposal to establish a United States Space Force as a sixth branch of the United States Armed Forces within the Department of the Air Force. This is an important step toward a future military department for space. Under this proposal, the United States Space Force would be authorized to organize, train, and equip military space forces of the United States to ensure unfettered access to, and freedom to operate in, space, and to provide vital capabilities to joint and coalition forces in peacetime and across the spectrum of conflict.
Comments:
- The military threat posed by China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea in, from, or through space is growing. Ignoring such growing threats, such as was done in the 1930s as Nazi Germany rearmed and the Japanese Empire undertook territorial expansion, increases the likelihood of future warfare. World War II saw the rapid growth of aerial warfare. A World War III would see space warfare. Publicly acknowledging the growing threat is the first step in deterring warfare.
- A U.S. Space Force, like the other services, is a force provider to the combatant commander. It is to provide capability.
- In equipping America military space force, priority is to be given to ensuring “unfettered access to, and freedom to operate in, space”. While this calls for specific operational capabilities—spaceplanes, spaceships, satellites—implicitly it also calls for the integrated astrologistical capabilities to deploy, support, and sustain these systems and the forward-deployed personnel that operate these systems “in peacetime and across the spectrum of conflict”.
Sec. 2. Definitions. For the purposes of this memorandum and the legislative proposal directed by section 3 of this memorandum, the following definitions shall apply:
(a) The term “United States Space Force” refers to a new branch of the United States Armed Forces to be initially placed by statute within the Department of the Air Force.
Comment: During World War II, the U.S. Army’s Air Corps grew into the U.S. Army Air Forces prior to becoming a separate service following the war. While this approach gives a framework of organization and custom to get things moving, absent forceful initial leadership, it imposes perhaps unneeded or counterproductive structure on the new U.S. Space Force. The President needs to appoint the U.S. Space Force’s version of General “Hap” Arnold to make the Space Force organizationally true to its unique mission defined by this directive.
(b) The term “Department of the Space Force” refers to a future military department within the Department of Defense that will be responsible for organizing, training, and equipping the United States Space Force.
(c) The term “United States Space Command” refers to a Unified Combatant Command to be established pursuant to the Presidential memorandum of December 18, 2018 (Establishment of United States Space Command as a Unified Combatant Command), that will be responsible for Joint Force space operations as will be assigned in the Unified Command Plan.
Comments:
- The U.S. Space Command will draw upon all services, including the new U.S. Space Force, to fulfill its operational responsibilities.
- It is very important that the new leadership of the U.S. Space Command be forward-leaning rather than seeing its reincarnation as simply Version 2.0 of the old U.S. Space Command disestablished in 2002.
Sec. 3. Legislative Proposal and Purpose. The Secretary of Defense shall submit a legislative proposal to the President through the Office of Management and Budget that would establish the United States Space Force as a new armed service within the Department of the Air Force.
Comment: This directive only gets the legislative ball rolling to create a U.S. Space Force. Congress must support this proposal with enabling legislation.
The legislative proposal would, if enacted, establish the United States Space Force to organize, train, and equip forces to provide for freedom of operation in, from, and to the space domain; to provide independent military options for national leadership, and to enhance the lethality and effectiveness of the Joint Force. The United States Space Force should include both combat and combat support functions to enable prompt and sustained offensive and defensive space operations, and joint operations in all domains. The United States Space Force shall be organized, trained, and equipped to meet the following priorities:
Comment: The “organize, train, and equip” mandate is the traditional way of summarizing the overall responsibilities of a service. While the public’s attention is focused on the directive starting the establishment of a U.S. Space Force, the importance of the implementing priorities to America’s national “grand strategy” in space—to use Lamaon Colucci’s term—is very significant.
(a) Protecting the Nation’s interests in space and the peaceful use of space for all responsible actors, consistent with applicable law, including international law;
Comment: Actions inconsistent with international law will happen in outer space, not on the Earth. Hence, the U.S. Space Force must have effective, timely operational capabilities throughout the portion of the central solar system of military and economic significance to the United States. This goes far beyond the limited LEO-MEO-GEO robotic orbital elements of today’s military capabilities.
(b) Ensuring unfettered use of space for United States national security purposes, the United States economy, and United States persons, partners, and allies;
Comments:
- The use of “unfettered” is very telling. Despite all of the hype about improved American space access, unfettered space access—in particular, passenger space access—has not yet been achieved. Further, systems capable of unfettered access are not yet in development.
- To achieve unfettered access, airworthiness-certified, fully-reusable military space access (e.g., transatmospheric vehicles (TAV) or spaceplanes), airworthiness-certified spaceships, and the enabling terrestrial and in-space astrologistics infrastructure must be built.
- The inclusion of “ensuring unfettered use of space for the United States national security purposes, the United States economy, United States persons, partners, and allies” emphasizes that the development of new operational capabilities must be done in a manner that fosters commercial capabilities including derivative military systems, unique commercial systems, and shared astrologistics infrastructure (e.g., space bases). This is similar to the development of U.S. Army forts across the western territories after the Civil War. Hundreds of forts were built, establishing a logistics network that served military, commercial, and settlement needs. Many of these forts were, for their time, extremely remote.
(c) Deterring aggression and defending the Nation, United States allies, and United States interests from hostile acts in and from space;
Comments:
- Deterring and defending have been U.S. military responsibilities since the end of World War II. These responsibilities have guided how the services organize, train, and equip.
- Having capabilities to deter and defend “in and from space” requires the development of substantial new to- and in-space operational capabilities. These will include ballistic missile defense, fractional orbital bombardment defense, hostile satellite defense, anti-satellite weapon defense, and the defense of U.S. persons, installations, and vehicles in space from robotic or human hostilities. The key to establishing an effective defense is the forward deployment of personnel and capabilities. An effective defense cannot be undertaken with “launch on need” terrestrial-based capabilities.
(d) Ensuring that needed space capabilities are integrated and available to all United States Combatant Commands;
Comment: For the U.S. military to have assured operational capabilities in space, this will require that elements of the U.S. Space Command be forward deployed to outer space throughout the parts of the central solar system of military and economic importance to the United States.
(e) Projecting military power in, from, and to space in support of our Nation’s interests; and
Comment: The ability to deter and defend implies the ability to attack if only to destroy enemy forces and capabilities engaged in or threatening attack on the United States. In other words, the U.S. Space Force is to develop and acquire the proverbial “big stick” enabling the ability to establish military dominance as circumstances dictate, just as the U.S. military is capable of doing in the land, air, and sea domains.
(f) Developing, maintaining, and improving a community of professionals focused on the national security demands of the space domain.
Comments:
- This requirement now is entirely being misunderstood by those in the U.S. Air Force. They are very near-term focused on politically preserving and protecting existing space-related organizations and personnel.
- From my comments previously, this directive calls for operational capabilities consistent with a true human spacefaring nation—both militarily and civilian. These far exceed the relatively immobile robotic satellite operations now deployed by the U.S. Air Force. Thus, in view of the new equipping mandate, focused on human systems and capabilities, the existing Air Force space-related organizations and personnel have little relevant experience or expertise.
- The new U.S. Space Force will need to turn to the Air Force organizations at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, NASA, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to obtain the needed human-focused experience and expertise. Central will be the ability to manage the development of fully-reusable, airworthiness-certified human spaceflight systems for access to space, installations in space, spaceships, etc. Quickly, these new organizational responsibilities will quickly supersede in importance those of existing satellite systems.
- A key element of this will be the implementation of focused graduate-level training. The U.S. Space Force will likely use the U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology, at Wright-Patterson AFB, to develop and implement graduate-level training for the Space Force’s military and civilian personnel. This may be expected to include training in astronautics and astrologistics.
Sec. 4. Scope.
(a) The legislative proposal required by section 3 of this memorandum shall, in addition to the provisions required under section 3 of this memorandum, include provisions that would, if enacted:
[i] consolidate existing forces and authorities for military space activities, as appropriate, in order to minimize duplication of effort and eliminate bureaucratic inefficiencies; and
[ii] not include the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Reconnaissance Office, or other nonmilitary space organizations or missions of the United States Government.
(b) The proposed United States Space Force should:
[i] include, as determined by the Secretary of Defense in consultation with the Secretaries of the military departments, the uniformed and civilian personnel conducting and directly supporting space operations from all Department of Defense Armed Forces;
[ii] assume responsibilities for all major military space acquisition programs; and
Comment: While the intent of this is clear, the current focus is on existing major military space acquisition programs which are (per my knowledge) all comparatively simple robotic satellites. This focus will guide where this acquisition oversight responsibility is to be undertaken and the selection of the military and civilian personnel for the senior positions. A failure to recognize/acknowledge the fading importance of robotic satellites, given the entirety of the U.S. Space Force’s equipping responsibilities described above, will be a major mistake by Air Force leaders. Establishing the new Space Force’s system development and acquisition responsibilities should reflect, from the outset, the human spaceflight nature of the future Space Force operational capabilities.
[iii] create the appropriate career tracks for military and civilian space personnel across all relevant specialties, including operations, intelligence, engineering, science, acquisition, and cyber.
Comment: Locating this new organization in a high-cost-of-living area, such as Los Angeles or Washington DC, will significantly hinder the development of a long-term, highly-qualified civilian—not contracted—workforce that is vital to the effective systems engineering management of human flight systems.
Sec. 5. United States Space Force Budget. In accordance with the Department of Defense budget process, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget a proposed budget for the United States Space Force to be included in the President’s Fiscal Year 2020 Budget Request.
Sec. 6. United States Space Force Organization and Leadership.
(a) The legislative proposal required by section 3 of this memorandum shall create a civilian Under Secretary of the Air Force for Space, to be known as the Under Secretary for Space, appointed by the President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.
(b) The legislative proposal shall establish a Chief of Staff of the Space Force, who will be a senior military officer in the grade of General or Admiral, and who shall serve as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Sec. 7. Associated Elements.
(a) A Unified Combatant Command for space, to be known as the United States Space Command, will be established consistent with law, as directed on December 18, 2018. This command will have all of the responsibilities of a Unified Combatant Command in addition to the space-related responsibilities previously assigned to United States Strategic Command. It will also have the responsibilities of the Joint Force provider and Joint Force training for space operations forces. Moving expeditiously toward a Unified Combatant Command reflects the importance of warfighting in space to the Joint Force. The commander of this command will lead space warfighting through global space operations that may occur in the space domain, the terrestrial domains, or through the electromagnetic spectrum.
(b) With forces provided by the United States Space Force and other United States Armed Forces, the United States Space Command shall ensure unfettered access to, and freedom to operate in, space and provide vital effects and capabilities to joint and coalition forces during peacetime and across the spectrum of conflict.
Sec. 8. Relationship with National Intelligence. The Secretary of Defense and the Director of National Intelligence shall create and enhance mechanisms for collaboration between the Department of Defense and the United States Intelligence Community in order to increase unity of effort and the effectiveness of space operations. The Secretary of Defense and the Director of National Intelligence shall provide a report to the President within 180 days of the date of this memorandum on steps they have taken and are planning to take toward these ends, including legislative proposals as necessary and appropriate.
Sec. 9. Operational Authorities. In order to ensure that the United States Space Force and United States Space Command have the necessary operational authorities, the National Space Council and the National Security Council shall coordinate an accelerated review of space operational authorities. Within 90 days of the date of this memorandum, the Secretary of Defense shall present to the National Space Council and the National Security Council proposed relevant authority changes for the President’s approval. The National Space Council and the National Security Council shall then conduct an interagency review of the Secretary’s proposal and make recommendations to the President on appropriate authorities, to be completed no later than 60 days from the date the Secretary of Defense presents his proposal to the councils.
Sec. 10. Periodic Review. As the United States Space Force matures, and as national security requires, it will become necessary to create a separate military department, to be known as the Department of the Space Force. This department will take over some or all responsibilities for the United States Space Force from the Department of the Air Force. The Secretary of Defense will conduct periodic reviews to determine when to recommend that the President seek legislation to establish such a department.
Sec. 11. General Provisions.
(a) Nothing in this memorandum shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
[i] the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or
[ii] the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
(b) This memorandum shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and United States national and homeland security requirements, and subject to the availability of appropriations.
(c) This memorandum is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
(d) The Secretary of Defense is authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register.
DONALD J. TRUMP
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James Michael (Mike) Snead is an aerospace Professional Engineer in the United States, an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), and a past chair of the AIAA’s Space Logistics Technical Committee. He is the founder and president of the Spacefaring Institute LLC (spacefaringinstitute.net) which is focused on space solar power-generated astroelectricity and the astrologistics infrastructure necessary to enable the spacefaring industrial revolution that will build space solar power energy systems. Mike Snead has been involved in space development since the mid-1980s when he supported the U.S. Air Force Transatmospheric Vehicle (TAV) studies, the National Aerospace Plane program, and the Delta Clipper Experimental (DC-X) project. In 2007, after retiring from civilian employment with the Air Force, he began to study the need for (and politics associated with) undertaking space solar power. Beginning in the late 1980s, he has published numerous papers and articles on various aspects of manned spaceflight, astrologistics, and energy. His technical papers are located at https://www.mikesnead.com and https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mike-Snead/research. His blog is at: https://spacefaringamerica.com. His eBook, Astroelectricity, can be downloaded for free here. He can be contacted through LinkedIn or through email sent to spacefaringinstitute@gmail.com.