What does the Space Force do?
The Space Force was designed to create one organization responsible for the training, development, and acquisition of equipment to support the U.S. military’s space capabilities and operations. Fielding over 100 satellites, USSF Guardians operate and maintain command and control of satellites that provide positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT), strategic and tactical communications, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), and weather. Guardians conduct space launches and operate the Nation’s space launch ranges, while also maintaining an extensive network of satellites, ground-based telescopes and radars that provide early warning of missile launches and track spacecraft and orbital debris. They are called upon to provide space superiority, employing broad offensive and defensive capabilities to support U.S. military missions. The responsibilities of the Space Force include the cultivation of space professionals, the maturation of military doctrine, and the organization of combat-ready forces for use by Combatant Commands.
Rule the skies. That’s what they do. With globalization taking a hit during the supply chain update, the US Navy can’t possibly be everywhere at once. Know what can? SPACE FORCE!
The Space Force’s solicitation for the next phase of national security launches will likely seek to distribute its most demanding missions among three providers, a change of course from its plan to choose just two companies to meet its space lift requirements.
“We are confident that this approach will secure launch capacity, enable supply chain stability, increase our resiliency through alternate launch sites and streamlined integration timelines, and enhance affordability for the most stressing National Security Space missions,” Col. Doug Pentecost, deputy program manager for assured access to space, said in a statement.
The Space Force in 2020 opened up its launch program to competition after years of relying solely on the United Launch Alliance to carry its satellites to orbit. That year, the service selected ULA to launch 60% of missions between fiscal 2022 and 2027 and SpaceX to fly the remaining 40%.
This is the first time a nuclear powered engine has been tested in fifty years
it’s almost like there were really, really good reasons we stopped looking at those. The govt has been putting out feelers about nuclear powered aircraft as well.
Since the start of the war in 2022, Russia has employed electronic warfare techniques such as jamming, spoofing and hacking of satellite networks to disrupt Ukrainian military operations. This has included attempts to interfere with GPS signals, which are crucial for the accuracy of guided munitions and unmanned systems used by Ukraine.
The Secure World Foundation noted that Russia has a multitude of systems that can jam GPS receivers within a local area, potentially interfering with the guidance systems of unmanned aerial vehicles, guided missiles and other precision-guided munitions. “New evidence suggests Russia may be developing high-powered space-based electronic warfare platforms to augment its existing ground-based platforms,” said the SWF in a recent report.
China also is believed to have advanced jamming systems to disrupt satellite communications and navigation, “although the exact nature is difficult to determine through open sources,” said the SWF, “and there is no public evidence of their active use in military operations.”
While military officials are cautious about drawing direct comparisons between the situation in Ukraine and potential future conflicts with other adversaries, they continue to draw insights from the conflict.
“We are always watching,” said Petrucci. “We are always seeing what’s going on around the world and seeing how people are using technologies. And so we are taking that and learning any lessons that we can so that we can apply those to not only our exercises, but also our training with our operators, and then also our intelligence professionals.”
While most of the Space Force’s electronic warfare systems and programs are classified, the service has publicized some of the new technologies it has developed in recent years.
A key piece of technology used by electronic warfare operators is the Counter Communications System (CCS) Block 10.2, a ground-based electronic jammer designed to temporarily disrupt adversaries’ geostationary communications satellites without causing permanent damage.
The Space Force in March 2020 revealed it fielded an upgraded version of the original CCS first developed by the Air Force in 2004. The modernized version, CCS Block 10.2 was touted as the service’s first offensive weapon system, designed to be transportable for rapid deployment. The current CCS enterprise consists of 16 trailer-mounted systems located in strategic locations and operated by the U.S. Space Force and Air National Guard units. Each system includes a large dish and support equipment such as generators.
Most recently, the Space Force’s Rapid Capabilities Office developed a Remote Modular Terminal, a ground-based electronic warfare system designed as a more compact and lower-cost piece of equipment to be deployed in large numbers. These smaller terminals were designed to be more mobile than the CCS and to supplement the larger jammers. They can be operated remotely, allowing personnel to control it from a safe distance. STARCOM said the terminals performed successfully in recent tests.
Time for catch up-- or not-- we could be far ahead.
For the decision-makers at the Pentagon, that has meant turning to the private sector, with which the Department of Defense is looking to form partnerships. The aim is to integrate private sector technology into military operations, covering both training exercises and real-world scenarios.
The primary objective is to ensure that essential satellite-based capabilities – such as communications, navigation, surveillance, and missile detection – are maintained and improved by private enterprises with surplus capacity, particularly during wartime. In the communication area, this should include all the latest satellite communication options for redundant, high speed connectivity: LEO constellations, MEO, and GEO connectivity and also include not only traditional RF links but also leverage the latest Gigabit speed Free Space Optical Communications, both between satellites in space and through optical ground stations back to earth. The name for this program is the Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve (CASR).
That the focus is space is key. China recently landed its unmanned Chang’e-6 aircraft on the moon, planting the Chinese flag, pointedly, in the Apollo crater – named for the original U.S. moon landing. It recently launched four high-resolution remote-sensing satellites and plans to launch ten more by the year’s end.
Space tends to grip the public imagination, but these forays are not driven by vanity. China, like the U.S., like Europe and like the other main players on the world stage, understands that Space is now one of the key arenas in a potential conflict, and a key driver of innovation across the board. And while the U.S. remains the preeminent space and military power, China’s rapid advancements are narrowing the gap.
The Space Force recently took the helm of the Air Force Research Lab’s experimental Rocket Cargo Vanguard program, renaming the effort Point-to-Point Delivery (P2PD). The concept seeks to use commercially available rockets to quickly launch military supplies to anywhere on Earth, including non-traditional landing pads both near structures and in remote locations.
In its budget request for fiscal 2025, the service asked for $4 million dollars to “support the detailed engineering design necessary for a P2PD service provider to perform airdrop payload delivery,” with the goal to support U.S. Transportation Command’s resupply missions, according to justification documents.
Take out war delivered in thirty minutes or less. The Dominos Project?
