The Impact of Space on National Security

Space has become an increasingly critical domain for national security in the 21st century. The militarization of space is accelerating as major powers like the United States, China, and Russia view space as a warfighting domain and develop advanced space and counterspace capabilities. At the same time, the world has grown heavily reliant on space systems for military, civil, and commercial functions, creating new vulnerabilities. The United States in particular depends on space for essential national security missions including intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, missile warning, precision navigation and timing, and secure military communications. Losing access to space capabilities would severely degrade America’s ability to project power and defend its interests.

Several trends are driving the growing importance of space to national security:

1. Increasing militarization of space. China, Russia, and other rivals are pursuing counterspace weapons to threaten U.S. space systems, such as anti-satellite (ASAT) missiles, lasers, jammers, and cyber weapons. They view America’s space dependency as an “Achilles heel” to exploit in a conflict. Both China and Russia have demonstrated ASAT weapons and formed military space forces in recent years. The U.S. is responding by strengthening space resilience and developing offensive space control capabilities of its own.
2. Proliferation of space actors and capabilities. Dozens of nations and commercial firms now have indigenous space capabilities. Over 70 nations own or operate satellites. Falling costs and the advent of small satellites are enabling more players to access space. This creates a more congested and competitive space environment with greater risks of collisions, radio-frequency interference, and potential hostilities.
3. Emergence of new space applications. Advances in small satellites, on-orbit servicing, and cislunar space exploration are creating novel possibilities for space activity. However, dual-use technologies like rendezvous and proximity operations could also be applied for military purposes. As human activity expands to the Moon and beyond, space will become even more strategically vital.
4. Growing reliance on space infrastructure. Military, government, and commercial sectors depend heavily on space systems for critical functions. The U.S. military’s ability to project global power rests on space support. Satellites enable global communications, financial transactions, transportation, emergency response, and more. Losing access to space would cause massive disruptions.

To address these challenges, the United States is taking major steps to protect its national security interests in space:

• Establishing the U.S. Space Force and Space Command to unify military space operations, enhance readiness, and develop warfighting doctrine and capabilities.
• Increasing investments in space domain awareness, defensive measures, and offensive weapons to deter and defeat threats. The 2020 Defense Space Strategy emphasizes space superiority through resilience, reconstitution, and space control.
• Leveraging commercial space services and small satellite proliferated LEO architectures to improve resilience and complicate adversary targeting. The Space Development Agency is deploying large LEO constellations for missile tracking and military communications.
• Strengthening space governance to ensure safe, sustainable, and peaceful space operations. The U.S. seeks to lead in developing norms, rules, and principles of responsible behavior in space.
• Deepening space cooperation with allies and partners to share capabilities, intelligence, and operational concepts. NATO declared space an operational domain in 2019.

However, major obstacles remain. Overcoming entrenched Pentagon bureaucracy and acquisition practices to accelerate space innovation is a persistent challenge. Defining and limiting the weaponization of space through arms control faces geopolitical headwinds. And the sheer physics of orbital mechanics and the fragility of satellites makes space inherently offense-dominant and difficult to defend.

Space is now a warfighting domain that will play a decisive role in future conflicts between great powers. Maintaining U.S. space superiority is essential for deterrence and national security. But doing so will require substantial reforms to defense space acquisitions, expanded international cooperation, and eventually, new governance frameworks to manage the intensifying competition for the space high ground. The stakes could not be higher, as America’s prosperity, security, and global leadership all depend on continued access to and freedom of action in space.

In conclusion, space has become integral to modern warfare and the global economy. As the great power competition extends into this domain, the United States must take urgent action to secure its vital interests and strengthen stability in space. This will demand major investments, policy innovations, and international engagement in the years ahead. Ultimately, the goal should be a sustainable, peaceful, and open space environment that benefits all humankind. But achieving that future will first require the United States to vigorously defend its national security against the growing threats in space today.