Securing the Heavens

This study analyzes various ways in which the United States might best gain and maintain control of outer space. Ultimately, a strategic framework is proposed that offers improved awareness regarding the constraints, strengths, weaknesses, synergies and implications of candidate space control strategies. It accomplishes this by reviewing the milestone events associated with the last forty-plus years of space control history, assessing current trends and their inherent dilemmas, as well as cataloging the various means or methods of achieving space control. With these insights, a strategic framework is described that allows the strategist to better develop space control strategies at any level-strategic, operational or tactical. The topic is timely given the nation’s mandate to the US military to guarantee the ability to gain and maintain control of space in order to better shape the strategic environment and respond to any form of conflict. This mandate is especially challenging since the task-holding the 'high ground' of space-must be accomplished without the benefit of weapons operating in the contested medium-space. Clearly, this is counter to the traditional manner by which militaries typically prepare, deploy and employ force to achieve superiority in a given medium of war. Given this dichotomy-the recognized importance of space in the current strategic environment with the limitations of a non-weaponized medium-the study is clearly relevant to the ongoing space control debate.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.