Space

This report presents the results of a study conducted in 1993-1994 that examined the extent to which spacepower (both military and economic) will influence national security strategy and the conduct… Lue lisää This report presents the results of a study conducted in 1993-1994 that examined the extent to which spacepower (both military and economic) will influence national security strategy and the conduct of future military operations. It was updated and revised in 1997 to reflect the changes that have occurred in military space policies, organizations, and operations and in the expanding commercial space sector since 1994. The report attempts to articulate the key military space policy issues facing the United States and place them in the larger context of a changing strategic environment to define new options for the exercise of spacepower in the pursuit of national interests. The motivation for the study was twofold: (1) to educate decisionmakers on the exploitation of spacepower in the pursuit of national security interests, and (2) to provide an overview of economic security issues facing military planners who are already familiar with military space policies, programs, and trends. Since the research for the study was completed in 1994, many aspects of the trends discussed here concerning the commercial space market have come about. For example, a Presidential Directive on the Global Positioning System (GPS) was issued in March 1996, and a new National Space Policy was released in September 1996. Furthermore, several defense- and intelligence-community-related initiatives concerning space program management and operations that were begun in 1994-1995 are still unfolding as this document goes to print. The research and analysis was conducted under the auspices of RAND's National Defense Research Institute, specifically the International Security and Defense Policy Center. NDRI isa federally funded research and development center sponsored by the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Staff, the unified commands, and the defense agencies. The report should be of interest to persons concerned with U. S. military doctrine, strategy, policy, and force planning, as well as those interested in the future of civil/military relations in technology policy and space policy.