![]() ![]() ![]() These effects were so revolutionary towards U.S. Military space capabilities such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), satellite communications, and missile warning unveiled themselves for the first time in a major conflict. Even though the United States has been employing satellites since the late 1950s, the 1991 Gulf War played a key role in reinforcing this “space is for Earth” view. After all, humans have fought conflicts on land, sea, and air throughout history, so seeing space as secondary is a natural inclination. The DoD’s view of space power has been myopic, understandably centering on the value of military space technology to those on Earth. ![]() Fortunately, the commercial space sector has presented a window of opportunity through the advent of reusable technology that the DoD can pursue to ensure victory in these inevitable battles. However, despite this acknowledgement, the Department of Defense (DoD) has not fully embraced Schriever’s idea the dominant view remains that space technology is meant to revolutionize terrestrial conflict rather than for use in its own right on the orbital battlefield. The DoD’s view of space power has been myopic, understandably centering on the value of military space technology to those on Earth.Įight months before the Soviet launch of Sputnik in 1957, Air Force Major General Bernard Schriever made an ominous prediction: “Several decades from now the important battles may not be sea battles or air battles, but space battles.” It took the United States sixty years to follow through on Schriever’s vision and declare space a separate warfighting domain. ![]()
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