US Space Command Prepares for Future Space War
US Space Command has released a document outlining its vision for future space warfighting, highlighting emerging challenges and opportunities.
The US joint force needs to develop capabilities and concepts of operation to succeed in the complex and dangerous space warfighting environment of 2040, according to a foundational assessment by US Space Command (SPACECOM).
The document, titled Space Warfighting Environment 2040, is a first-of-its-kind USSPACECOM document that provides a common understanding of the future space warfighting environment and serves as a foundation for follow-on concept development, force development, experimentation, and planning.
The document identifies four key emerging challenges that will shape future space warfighting:
The document also highlights nine forces that will define the warfighter's reality by 2040 and beyond:
The document is intended to provide an enduring framework that defines the future space warfighting environment from the perspective of the joint warfighter, and to inform senior leaders across the Joint Force about the future of space operations.
The document's focus on joint operations makes it unique compared to other futures documents previously released by the Pentagon and the Space Force.
In his forward to the document, outgoing SPACECOM commander Gen. Stephen Whiting explained that The Space Warfighting Environment 2040 is the first in a "trilogy" of planned SPACECOM documents designed to frame "the future of space operations for the Joint Force."
The document is clear about "how the United States might operate and prevail in a degraded and contested space environment," but it is not so clear about how the country might use its military space power to deter conflict or shape tomorrow's environment to the betterment of civilians, industry, or the wider global community.
The document's focus on battlefield operations also accounts for SPACECOM's slightly different take on future threats and needs articulated by the Space Force in a similar 2040-focused document, called "Future Operating Environment," released by recently retired Chief of Space Operations Chance Saltzman in April.
Different foci aside, the two futures documents "are complementary and look at the future environment from different but mutually supporting perspectives," a SPACECOM official said.
One similarity between both the SPACECOM and Space Force future's documents is that they assert the ascendency of artificial intelligence (AI) that will increase the speed of any conflict's action-reaction cycle.
The document's novel contribution is its discussion of AI as part of mesh networks (kill-webs) and the need for sustained maneuver capability to improve resilience.
The document's focus on the need for sustained maneuver capability to improve resilience is a key takeaway, and it highlights the importance of developing capabilities and concepts of operation to succeed in the complex and dangerous space warfighting environment of 2040.
