Operationally Responsive Space: A New Defense Business Model

Space capabilities are a prominent element within the collection of global advantages the United States enjoys today. Space is one of the commons, along with the sea and cyberspace, that constitute the triad of capabilities on which America's global power rests. But several ominous trends now compel a reassessment of the current business model for meeting the nation's needs for military space capabilities. While the existing model has served the nation well, a new business model is at hand and can now be readily grasped to propel us into the future. Trends compelling this reassessment include: falling barriers to competitive entry into the commons of space, an increasing dependency on space capabilities, and emerging vulnerabilities in current space systems. In addition, there are systemic issues emerging across the spectrum that require a reexamination of how the nation acquires these precious assets. Such issues include: the fact that important space programs are in trouble for reasons either financial or technical; the growing need to recapitalize space capabilities; decreasing industrial base viability; reduced science and technology funding; and the need to develop space professionals. The current business model for space is unable to support, by itself, the combined weight of these accumulating pressures. Pub. in Parameters, US Army War College Quarterly, v35 n2 p67-77, Summer 2005.