Space has been making headlines more and more in recent years with the dawn of commercial space flight, the introduction of proliferated constellations in Low Earth Orbit, and the invention of reusable rockets, but access to space is not something that can be taken for granted.

In a joint prepared statement to Congress in June 2017, the Honorable Heather A. Wilson, General David L. Goldfein, General John W. Raymond, and Lieutenant General Samuel A. Greaves state that “Clearly, freedom to operate in space is not guaranteed. In fact, space is now a warfighting domain, similar to the more familiar air, land, and maritime domains our men and women are fighting in today.”

Two years later, on August 29, 2019, U.S. Space Command was reestablished, and shortly after that in December 2019, the U.S. Space Force was established, solidifying the important role space plays in national defense and joint warfighting.

Space-based systems are essential for modern life, supporting various sectors such as agriculture, trade, transportation, security, and connecting remote communities. Given the increasing threats to space-based systems and their critical importance for national security, a joint military approach to space operations is essential to ensure the protection and sustainability of space assets.

“Given the rapid growth of the threats we now see in our domain and the ever-advancing pace of broader space advancements at U.S. Space Command, we talk about our mission in terms of three moral responsibilities,” said U.S. Space Force Gen. Stephen Whiting, USSPACECOM commander, during a National Defense Industrial Association Space Warfighting Forum in Colorado Springs, Colo. Aug. 15, 2024. “First, we must ensure the delivery of space effects to the joint force, our nation, and our allies. Second, we must protect and defend our existing space systems in the face of the threats now arrayed against us, and third, we must protect the joint force from space-enabled attack.”

During the National Defense Industrial Association – 5th Annual Space Warfighting Forum, leaders in commercial space gathered with military leaders and policymakers to discuss the future of space warfighting.

“We need to challenge our assumptions about space being there for the joint force,” said the Honorable Kari Bingen, Former Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense, Intelligence, Department of Defense. “Our joint force will be seen with everything China is doing, and they will have to learn how to fight with degraded space.”

During a USSPACECOM service component panel discussion, Space Force, Navy and Army component panelists further reiterated the joint nature of space and ways that their respective services are contributing to the space fight.

“Protecting the joint warfighter is about more than resources,” said U.S. Space Force Lt. Gen. Douglas Schiess, U.S. Space Forces-Space (S4S) commander. “We need policies in place and the authorities to act and be agile… and then we need to let Guardians, who are the people doing the mission, do what they do best.”

While S4S is primarily focused on assets in space, these assets are largely supported by an array of ground-based space systems such as radars, ground stations and C2 centers.

“As we look at that the terrestrial infrastructure that is so important to space we need to recognize that 70% of the earth is covered by water,” said U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Heidi Berg, USN Deputy Commander, Navy Space Command and Deputy Commander, Fleet Cyber Command. “It’s important to ensure that part of that infrastructure is a maneuver force.”

The Army also brings unique perspectives, mission sets and capabilities to space warfighting.

“The Space and Missile Defense Center provides trained and ready forces that execute space control planning space electronic warfare theater missile warning and space staff support to U.S. Space Command,” said U.S. Army Col Russell Nowels, SMDC Deputy Chief of Staff G3, Operations & Plans. “In addition, at the SMDC G3, we provide training force tracking capability to US Space Command as well as the greater Department of Defense, our partners agencies and other government organizations.”

Two things were made clear during the Space Warfighting Forum. The first is that space is a difficult domain as emphasized by panel moderator, U.S. Air Force (Ret) Lt. Gen. Dave Buck.

“Space is contested, it’s degraded, it’s operationally limited, it’s no kidding or war fighting domain,” said Buck. “We all need to acknowledge that, and we all need to get after that.”

The second is that space warfighting is a joint effort that requires mutual support by all branches of military service.

“While Space Command has a special relationship with U.S. Space Force as we are the only pairing of a combatant command and a service solely focused on the same domain, we benefit from and are dependent upon the integration of capabilities from every service,” said Whiting. “We need all those capabilities to be able to achieve the elements of victory.”