The Space Force Squad Wants To Create Problems – Not Avoid Them
America’s Space Strategy Comes of Age, Peter Garretson, opinion, Newsweek
“As such, the report is something of a net assessment of our competitive strategic position vis-à-vis all sectors of space, from civilian to military to commercial. It focuses, in particular, on the six areas thought most likely to decide the great power competition: namely, space policy and finance, space information services, space transport and logistics, human presence, power for space systems, and space manufacturing and resource extraction. In these areas, it offers an action plan of more than 40 recommendations cumulatively designed to give America an undeniable qualitative edge in future space development.”
Keith’s note: This is what happens when you put a Space Force fan into a discussion about space policy. To them its all about projecting military power in space – and they want to project that military power in an antagonistic fashion that is simply going to prompt others to do the same. When they talk about “America’s global leadership in space” they do not really care about the scientific or exploration stuff. They just want “to get to the “Star Trek Future” where they have troops and other things up there guarding things.
If 20 years of peaceful cooperation amongst the nations participating in the ISS has taught us anything it is that space offers an unusually compelling adventure that is more important than petty terrestrial politics. Think of all of the bad vibes between the U.S. and Russia. Go ahead – make a list. Yes, its long. Now look at the conflicts on the ISS. Make a list. I’m waiting. Where are they? That’s right – there are none. How is that possible? To be certain we need to be vigilant in protecting our national assets in space – as we have been for more than half a century. But the Space Force squad seems to be hell bent on creating problems to solve in space instead of trying to avoid having problems in the first place.
– Now Space Force Wants Its Own Starfleet Admirals, earlier post
– Space Force Really Wants To Take Over All Of NASA’s Stuff, earlier post
– TV’s Space Force Looks Like More Fun Than The Real One (Or Artemis), earlier post
– Space Force Official Flag Presented To The President On Friday Because Of Course It Was, earlier post
– Space Force Has The Air Force Academy. Why Doesn’t NASA Have A Space Academy?, earlier post
– Space Force Really Wants To Be Star Fleet, earlier post
– More Space Force postings
“But the Space Force squad seems to be hell bent on creating problems to solve in space instead of trying to avoid having problems in the first place.”
How do you figure that?
Space Force points out that what we already knew was happening is not stopping. PLASSF and the “Space Troops” of the Russian Aerospace Force are still testing incrementally improved capabilities for on-orbit intercept of US Assets, be they GPS, Coms, or Recon assets. How is this Space Force behavior “hell bent on creating problems”? We’re starting 4 years after they stood up these Services (and PLASSF *is* at an equivalent level to PLAAF and PLAN), while they’ve already been testing on-orbit for 3 years.
The place where we started MilSpace was 1959, when the first Transit satellite was launched, to help navigate Polaris missile submarines. If *that’s* what your complaint is, isn’t it a long time coming? The conflicts in 1991 and 2003 showed the Russian Military, and the PLA, just how much better our MilSpace assets made our surface forces, and these “force multipliers” shocked them with their effectiveness at doing that.
By the end of 2003, the first articles appeared in open literature, by PLA officers, stating that the PLA needed the capability to neutralize US MilSpace assets in any conflict with the US. By 2007, they demonstrated their first means of doing so. 8 years after that, and 4 years after Xi Jinping started promising his Party cadres he would return China to its old status of “The Central Kingdom” by 2049, they stood up PLASSF, tasked with both Cyber War *and* Space War.
To me, Space Force seems to be trying to ensure we don’t *lose* military “force multiplier” advantages we built up during the 61 previous years, and are militarily dependent on today. Are those advantages the core of your complaint? If not, please be more precise in why Space Force is “hell bent” on anything, other than preserving and expanding those advantages.
Space Force is quite simply an extension of Trumpism. Divisive, antagonistic, superiority complex with all the associated bad behaviour.
This has done nothing positive for the U.S. or the rest of the world.
Cheers
Neil
USSF was created by Congress, based on established DOD doctrine, and not by Trump, even though he seems to have successfully convinced you that he did.
I said it is an extension of Trumpism, not that it was created by him and I note that you haven’t disagreed with the rest of my post.
Cheers
Neil
Trumpism is what sells Trump to voters that can no longer accept rule by the academicized. Space Force is a tiny portion of that. Did you not pay attention to the 15 months of Space Force-related activity *before* Trump started talking about it? Rep.s Rogers and Cooper were hardly Trump fans when they did their February 2018 presentation at the WH, after their 2017 Bill passed the House, but failed in the Senate.
The fact that Trump supports Space Force, and is C-in-C, will matter not one bit after Jan. 20th 2025, at the latest. After that Space Force will have 99% of its history in front of it. Why does it matter to you that Trump starts it?
Here we go – those of us who are “academicized” are bad people because we do not accept Trump.
Of course it’s not true that *most* such are even questionable. It is quite correct, however, that many accept it. Trump uses this.
It is still the distinguishing mark of so many Trump supporters that they *do*not* ask for the academic credentials of someone giving an opinion, because of the low regard academia as a whole has earned, even among many college graduates. Academic popularity of “Critical Theory” has left us in a hole we, even STEM, will be *decades* digging out of. In spaceflight debates about Space Force this is actually *less* visible than in others.
Back to Space Force, however.
There wasn’t anything else to your post.
Cheers.
PS, Congress started legislative efforts to create USSF 15 years before Trump was elected.
Creating problems for US adversaries is what Space Force is supposed to do.
Peaceful cooperation is NASA’s wheelhouse, let everybody drive in their own lane, there’s nothing wrong with that.
And I wouldn’t say there’s no conflict in ISS, nobody is shooting at each other up there, but there’re definitely disagreements, here’s just a few recent ones:
1. Russians refuse to fly their astronauts on Commercial Crew
2. Russians accuse US astronauts drilling hole on Soyuz
3. Russians believe DM-1 is unsafe and ask their astronauts to shelter in place when DM-1 approaches
Oh please. These are minor disputes and no one was killed, no trade embargoes, no weapons pointed at each other. Nice try.
Kieth, …you *do* realize, don’t you, that waiting to do anything until weapons are pointed at you almost guarantees that you will either back down, or die? … Don’t you?
At least spell my. name right. Sheesh.
Oh, …uh, …yeah, …sorry.
INKSNA is kind of a trade embargo. NASA certainly needs legislative relief from it to even barter with Roscosmos.
Space Force feels like another blowhard story with not a lot of substance. Please correct me if I’m wrong. Will it be anything in four years?
Yup.
Anything?
What do you consider anything?
US Space Force already signed contracts for the demonstration constellation of satellites to detect and track both the Chinese and the Russians’ vaunted hypersonic missiles in the upper atmosphere. It is already operating the 60-70 legacy assets we have on-orbit. It is looking to proliferate Navs, Coms, and Recon from 60-70 assets to 700-7,000, as a counter to the current technologies being tested by PLASSF and the “Space Troops” of Russia. It is looking at which space launchers will be best for finally getting a “responsive launch” system, that can shorten average replacement times from 3 years to 3 days.
It looks to me like Russia, China, and to a lesser extent, nations like Israel and Iran are extending their military space power reach pretty aggressively. In many ways, we’re qualitatively and quantitatively behind that curve.
It’s their job, Keith, and it’s why non-military is responsible for policy.
A down vote?! Disagreement is part of commenting, Mr. Houston; which part of my comment did you find disagreeable?
Understand my intent was to take a factual tone. It IS the job of the military to look under every bed for current or possible enemies; and the job of civilians to temper the conclusions. Disagree?
Yet another down voter? Now that’s just weird!
Apparently there *are* folks who disagree. Can we assume they want the US military to go to sleep? As whole governments take a reactionary attitude to those industrial freedoms we fought for throughout WW3, I really don’t think that’s useful.
I would expect Space Force to be disbanded once Biden is elected.
More likely that they will keep it at its current level and not expand it to the immense scale that the zealots want.
How do you figure? Congress built it on a bipartisan basis, and only Congress could change that. Once it’s up and running, it’s here for good.
…..and it will continue to grow and grab more money from DoD and the Air Force, who just lost their space toys to Steve Carell and Company. =) A new branch of service will fight for their own stuff and DoD will continue to burn half of the US budget. Government bureaucracies live to grow and become more prominent. More high paying positions and promotions all around…
The same can be said of *any* government hierarchy. The real question is whether Congress will allow USSF to focus on doing the job of preserving military advantages built over 6 decades, or demand that first priority go to money flow through Congress’ vassal corporations to voters in their districts. So far, SF is doing a good job of keeping staff small and line personnel focused.
Sure. Just give them time…(keeping the staff small…) It is amazing how government organizations continue to grow their empires… and it *never* goes back… They have not been in existence one year yet.
Keith,
For once, it seems you are entirely focused on your own preexisting expectation rather than taking material on a serious topic as written and assessing whether it is right or wrong, good or bad policy, etc. With my emphasis on your words, you state:
“To THEM its all about projecting military power in space – and THEY want to project that military power in an ANTAGONISTIC fashion that is simply going to prompt others to do the same. When THEY talk about “America’s global leadership in space” THEY do not REALLY care about the scientific or exploration stuff. THEY just want “to get to the “Star Trek Future” where they have troops and other things up there guarding things.”
This is rare for you. Clearly you have a strong negative opinion about the “Space Force”, and seem to equate it with a “Star Trek Future” which you similarly view as a bad thing. (For myself, I think the Space Force as a separate organization would have been premature — but as part of the USAF it seems timely.)
I’ve read the document through and cannot find the antagonistic words to which you refer. And, yes I did participate in the workshop back in May and also at that time I did not hear anyone take the cartoonish positions that you attribute to those who were there… If you can actually cite the text in the report that is antagonistic, dismissive of science or exploration or any of the issues you raise, I would welcome to know where it is. I cannot find it. Rather, it seems to me that the issues raised by a soon-to-arrive era when the US is NOT preeminent in space are pretty darn serious.
As it stands, you seem to be raising a straw-man and then knocking it down triumphantly. Your words are biting and fun to read, but the issues are serious. Regardless of who is in the WH, whether the US space industrial base is maintaining its lead or losing ground, and whether this is important or unimportant are issues that should be discussed.
All the best,
– John
Seems to me the USSF is another activity that will be “hijacked” by Trump and will have his name all over it. General public will be confused with numerous references to ST and the recent movie which the Netflix still above will symbolize what the SF is. This will add more confusion as general public will find it difficult to distinguish between fact and fiction (“what? you mean don’t have a moon base or a battlestar?”).
Yes, the the USSF is a projection of power which reminds me of the PBS series “Across the Pacific” about Juan Trippe’s development of Pan Am’s China Clipper fleet which they said was using aviation as a projection of power for the United States. Obviously many things happened between 1930s and 1950s.
I am curious. Why are there models of NASA launch vehicles behind the Commander of the Space Force? Couldn’t the producers find models of U.S.A.F. launch vehicles? Or don’t they even know there is a difference?
I watched the Netflix show and enjoyed it. I see two Saturn 5 (small and bigger) and a small SLS. Yes, they could have stacked the whole desk with different models of Atlas, Titan Centaurs, Delta 2s and others. I will probably watch Season 1 again.
It just reflects the lack of historical detail, and the usual problem that the writers, and producers, and the corp. Execs, simply don’t know what they are talking about. Granted, it’s a comedy, but the USAF *never* launched a Saturn 5, or a Saturn 1b, and USSF will never launch an SLS. Where’s the Titan III? Where’s the Atlas/Centaur, or the Atlas Agena?
Its the obvious low priority to connect with reality that grates.
Dude. It is a comedy show not a documentary. Get a grip.
Seriously? It is a comedy show not a documentary. Get a grip.
Just for you, Keith:
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
That is funny. Thanks!
Cool. Those are the AR-15s sent as an experiment to find out if they work in space (not that there is any question they will work) =) in the 2A payload. I can’t wait for Season 2 where we fight the Moon War with China.