June 14, 2021
Pentagon: Diversify Your Orbital Regimes
As Congress considers the Pentagon’s $1.2 billion request for military space systems in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and its other broader space portfolio, it would do well to consider the key factor of resilience at each decision point.
Building resilience into new defense space systems will remain challenging especially in a budget-constrained environment. It will require tough choices not just programmatically, but architecturally. The Defense Department would do well to justify their investment as not only for one orbital regime, but for the broader context of mission assurance.
Resilience is a key attribute of any defense space architecture – legacy or disruptive.
President Biden’s FY 2022 budget is out, and for policymakers and practitioners in the space community one aspect in particular is getting attention: a $1.2 billion request for various military space systems in low-Earth orbit (LEO). This includes investments by organizations reporting into the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), like the Space Development Agency, the Missile Defense Agency, and DARPA, all of which are investing in innovative space architectures and applications leveraging hardware commoditization and Software as a Service solutions. This marks a warranted and welcome trend toward innovation for these agencies – each of which should transition their reporting from OSD to the Space Force – but the question remains: why this investment in LEO architecture alone?
For the programs under the various OSD organizations, one concept appears again and again: resilience.
Read the full article from Breaking Defense.
More from CNAS
-
How the War on Iran Threatens the Global Economy
Commentary
This article was originally published in TIME. Around two weeks into the American and Israeli war with Iran, the economic, political, and military costs of the conflict for th...
By Becca Wasser
-
Congressional Testimony
Defense / Middle East Security
Iran War Could Hinge On Who Runs Low On Munitions FirstIn just days of attacks, the US has used weapons stores that could take years to rebuild. On today’s Big Take podcast, Sarah Holder sits down with global defense editor Gerry ...
By Becca Wasser
-
Commentary
Defense / Middle East Security
Iran’s Cheap, Plentiful Weaponry Puts U.S. Military Under Unprecedented StrainThis article was originally published in Bloomberg. When the first cruise missiles began detonating inside Iran, the strikes had all the hallmarks of previous successful U.S. ...
By Becca Wasser
-
Video
Defense / Middle East Security
Trump Threatens Iran over Strait of HormuzCenter for a New American Security program director Stacie Pettyjohn joined BBC News to discuss the war in Iran, Iranian attempts to mine the Strait of Hormuz, and the challen...
By Stacie Pettyjohn
