1. Space as a Warfighting Domain
October 2018
Space as a Warfighting Domain
Dr. Brent Ziarnick, Air Command and Staff College
Director, Schriever Scholars
NDIA Space and Missile Defense Working Group
Hunstville, AL
18 October 2018

2. Space as a Warfighting Domain
“We must and we will embrace space superiority with the same passion and sense of ownership as we apply to air superiority here today. The nation demands it. And we will deliver. We must always be the predator and never the prey.” – CSAF General David Goldfein, 17 April 2018

3. Space as a Warfighting Domain
“We must and we will embrace space superiority with the same passion and sense of ownership as we apply to air superiority here today. The nation demands it. And we will deliver. We must always be the predator and never the prey.” – CSAF General David Goldfein, 17 April 2018

4. Space as a Warfighting Domain
“We must and we will embrace space superiority with the same passion and sense of ownership as we apply to air superiority here today. The nation demands it. And we will deliver. We must always be the predator and never the prey.” – CSAF General David Goldfein, 17 April 2018

5. Space as a Warfighting Domain
“We must and we will embrace space superiority with the same passion and sense of ownership as we apply to air superiority here today. The nation demands it. And we will deliver. We must always be the predator and never the prey.” – CSAF General David Goldfein, 17 April 2018

6. A Space Officer’s View of Warfighting
“In a high end conflict, initial engagements may begin in our domain and we will have to fight for space superiority. Our combat skills must be honed, must be ready, and must be decisive. Combat readiness fortifies deterrence, and should deterrence fail, delivers decisive results.”
– General Jay Raymond AFSPC/CC

7. A Space Officer’s View of Warfighting
“In a high end conflict, initial engagements may begin in our domain and we will have to fight for space superiority. Our combat skills must be honed, must be ready, and must be decisive. Combat readiness fortifies deterrence, and should deterrence fail, delivers decisive results.”
– General Jay Raymond AFSPC/CC

8. Why a Space Warfighting Construct?
Historically, the United States enjoyed unimpeded freedom of action in the space domain
Delivering intelligence collection, missile warning, weather monitoring, satellite communications, and precise position, navigation, and timing
Operating globally with unmatched speed, agility and lethality
However, the environment has changed
Potential adversaries understand our space domain competitive advantage
They are working hard to exploit that reliance, and to deny, disrupt, degrade and destroy our space systems
SWC Handout:
For decades the United States has enjoyed unimpeded freedom of action in the space domain. This has allowed us to deliver space capabilities that include: intelligence collection, missile warning, weather monitoring, satellite communications, and precise positioning, navigation, and timing essential to US Armed Forces that operate globally with unmatched speed, agility and lethality. However, the environment has changed. Our potential adversaries understand the competitive advantage we derive from space capabilities, and view our reliance on them as a vulnerability. They are working hard to exploit that reliance with kinetic and non-kinetic means intended to deny, disrupt, degrade, and destroy our space systems. The current space enterprise was not designed or optimized to fight through and deliver key warfighting effects in, from and through today’s contested space domain. Though our goal is to avoid conflict, we must be prepared if it occurs. Evolving the space enterprise to a more robust and resilient architecture underpinned by better situational awareness and responsive command and control will provide space leaders with tools, decision aids and response options necessary to prevail if conflict extends into space.

9. Why a Space Warfighting Construct?
Interceptors
GPS Jamming
SATCOM Jamming
Laser Blinding
Laser Damage (HEL)
Ground Site Attack
NUDET in Space
Malicious Code
Service Denial
Data Theft
Data Manipulation
System Takeover
Attack
Infrastructure
Attack
Weapon Systems
LESS SEVERE / MORE REVERSIBLE
MORE SEVERE / IRREVERSIBLE
The current US space enterprise was not designed or optimized to fight through and deliver key warfighting effects in, from and through today’s contested space domain
We must provide a more resilient architecture to prevail if conflict extends into space

10. USAF’s Space Warfighting Construct
Space Enterprise Vision
Vision of a space enterprise that can fight through conflict
Integrating the capabilities of USG (DoD/IC/Civil) with Allies and the Commercial Sector.
Preparing warfighters for combat against a thinking adversary
Our deployed force structure and supporting systems
Ability to outpace the threat with DOTmLPF-P and materiel solutions
Space Warfighting CONOPS
Integrating CONOPS
How we fight to ensure success as a national security team
Strategic C2
SSA and I&W
Space Mission Force
Resilient Architecture
Enterprise Agility
Partnerships

11. Space Enterprise Vision
SEV developed jointly by AFSPC-NRO in 2015
Charts a course to a resilient space enterprise by 2030
Deter aggression within the space domain and, when necessary, prevail in a multi-domain conflict that extends to space
Challenges us to change long-held operating practices and principles, now unsuited to outpacing rapidly maturing threats
“Our vision is to first normalize space operations as a joint warfighting domain; no different than any other warfighting domain. Only when we think about and talk about space in the same way we talk about operations in the air, on land, at sea, or in cyber will we move in the direction of truly integrating space operations across all warfighting domains”
- General D. Goldfein, CSAF, 3 Feb 2017
From SWC Handout:
The SEV, developed jointly by Air Force Space Command and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) in 2015, charts a course to a resilient space enterprise by 2030 that is able to deter aggression within the space domain and, when necessary, prevail in a multi-domain conflict that extends to space. The Vision challenges us to change long-held operating practices and principles, effective in their time, but unsuited to outpacing rapidly maturing threats or to take advantage of fundamental changes in the global space order. The SEV articulates the attributes and imperatives of a force postured to defend and protect through all phases of conflict and sustain the strategic advantage enjoyed by America’s joint and coalition warfighters.

12. Space Warfighting CONOPS
Integrating CONOPS
Strategic C2
SSA and I&W
Time- and technology-tested principles that guide effective application of military capability to achieve commanders’ objectives for national interests
Documented as operational concepts
Matured through analysis and war games
Inculcated into operating forces through training and exercises
USAF and NRO created a series of CONOPS to strengthen unity of effort across the national security space enterprise
Full spectrum of doctrine, organization, training, materiel, education, personnel, facilities, and policy options
Describes a joint force conducting multi-domain operations to meet national objectives
From SWC Handout:
Using time- and technology-tested principles of war, planners determine the most effective application of military capability to achieve commanders’ objectives. These are documented as operational concepts, matured through analysis and war games, and inculcated into operating forces through training and exercises. The Air Force and NRO developed a series of integrated CONOPS to strengthen partnerships and provide unity of effort across the national security space enterprise. Together, they describe how we will use the full spectrum of doctrine, organization, training, materiel, education, personnel, facilities, and policy options as part of a joint force conducting multi-domain operations to meet national objectives.

13. The human capital of the Space Warfighting Construct
Space Mission Force
The human capital of the Space Warfighting Construct
Revolutionizes the way we train our forces
Must operate in contested, degraded and operationally-limited environment
Prepare to recognize and react to adversary threats
Advanced training scenarios that hone warfighting skills
Stimulate development of tactics, techniques, and procedures to maintain freedom of action across the spectrum of conflict
Normalizes space training with the rest of the USAF
Provides higher confidence in readiness
Ensures consistent presentation of space forces to Combatant Commanders
From SWC Handout:
The SMF is the human capital of our space warfighting construct. Specifically, the SMF revolutionizes the way we train our space forces to successfully operate in an increasingly contested, degraded and operationally-limited environment. The goal of SMF is to prepare our crewmembers to recognize and react to adversary threats with advanced training scenarios that hone their warfighting skills and stimulate the development of Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures that will allow our forces to maintain freedom of action across the spectrum of conflict. The SMF normalizes space training with the rest of the Air Force, provides higher confidence in our readiness levels and mission capabilities, and ensures a more consistent presentation of space forces to Combatant Commanders, whether operating from garrison or a deployed location.

14. Resilient Architecture
The joint force succeeds with a resilient ground and space enterprise, employing multiple attributes of mission assurance
A more diversified and proliferated space segment, able to absorb losses
DoD Space Domain Mission Assurance Taxonomy
Integrated, interoperable ground stations governed by common operating and data sharing standards
Persistent situational awareness, synchronized by proliferated, defensible, and modern C2
Informed by a scalable and adaptive common operational picture enabling real-time decision-making at all echelons of command
From SWC Handout:
Space forces will benefit from more resilient architectures both on the ground and in space. On-orbit architectures will employ multiple attributes of the mission assurance taxonomy to ensure they are able to deliver persistent, critical space warfighting capabilities in the face of direct attack, ensuring that joint and combined warfighters will prevail in conflict. These attributes will extend to the ground, where a resilient architecture includes integrated, interoperable ground stations across DoD and partner organizations, a ground network governed by common operating and data sharing standards that enables proliferated, defensible command and control systems, and timely delivery and exploitation of available health, status and threat information. The architecture is activated via persistent situational awareness, synchronized by a modern battle management, command and control system and informed by a scalable and adaptive common operating picture enabling real-time decision-making at appropriate echelons of command. It is also imperative that the ground architecture and data standards are compatible with command and control systems of air, cyber, land and maritime forces to facilitate multi-domain operations.

15. Responsive to new and changing threats
Enterprise Agility
Responsive to new and changing threats
Rapidly integrate new capabilities to make warfighting force more effective
Agility must extend through the entire space warfighting enterprise
Learn about threat; develop solutions; acquire, test, deploy and operate new systems – ensuring space mission force is ready to defeat thinking adversary in complex multi-domain battlespace
Enterprise uses all elements to speed decision-making, prototype potential solutions, rapidly integrate decision-making tools and sustain winning capability
Deliver multi-domain effects in, from, and through space and cyberspace
From SWC Handout:
The warfighting construct demands that we be responsive to new and changing threats, and can rapidly integrate new capabilities to make our warfighting force more effective. This agility must extend through the entire space warfighting enterprise, to include how we learn about the threat; develop solutions; acquire, test, deploy, and operate new systems; and ensure our space mission force is ready to defeat a thinking adversary in a complex, multi-domain battlespace. The enterprise will use all of its elements to speed decision-making, prototype potential solutions, rapidly integrate decision-making tools and sustain a war-winning capability by delivering multi-domain effects in, from, and through space and cyberspace.

16. Partnerships
There is a global interest in preventing a conflict from extending into the global commons of space
Commerce, Security, Science and Exploration, and an interconnected global society all flow through space
Capabilities of US, Allies and commercial endeavors all contribute to security
Each partner brings unique strengths
Integrating these capabilities creates a framework for stability and success
From SWC Handout:
Our national security objectives are achieved through partnerships within the US Government (DoD/IC/Civil) and with the growing capabilities of Allies and the commercial space sector. Each partner has unique strengths that they can bring to bear in support of the goal to deter and dissuade a conflict from extending into space. Developing and integrating these partnerships into our enterprise is key to its success.

17. Conclusion
“The Space Warfighting Construct is how we normalize space as a warfighting domain, consistent with warfare in every other contested domain. Success demands that we understand how we will fight, prepare our Airmen, acquire war-winning capability and partner with friends and Allies.”
Gen Jay Raymond
Commander, Air Force Space Command