The Pentagon’s “Commercial Space Integration Strategy” opens the door for the implementation of military force to protect US commercial space operators, it also suggests that the Department of Defense (DoD) could provide financial backing to contractors offering space services. As reported by Breaking Defense, the strategy has been released today by the outgoing Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy, John Plumb.
While this strategy does not lead to uncharted territories, it offers formal approval of efforts that so far have been ad hoc and spread across various organizations and services. It closely aligns with a separate Space Force commercial space strategy, which is expected to shine more light on acquisition when released within the next few days.
The strategy highlights a significant shift from the DoD’s legacy practices, which relied heavily on DoD-specific capabilities and limited use of commercial solutions. With the commercial space sector expanding and the proliferation of space capabilities, the DoD is aiming to make commercial solutions an integral part of its national security space architectures.
However, exhibiting caution, the strategy also acknowledges certain inherent risks associated with relying on commercial systems. These risks involve finding a balance between speed and security, while taking advantage of commercial innovation and speed.
The strategy sets out four top-level priorities to maximize the benefits of commercial solutions. First, it aims to ensure access to commercial space solutions, even in times of conflict. Secondly, it plans to achieve integration before any crisis. Third, it will establish security conditions that promote integration. And fourth, it will support the development of new commercial space solutions.
The strategy has identified 13 mission areas for national security space where an increased use of commercial products, data, and services could be beneficial. The areas listed include combat power projection, command and control (C2), cyberspace operations, electromagnetic warfare (EW), and environmental monitoring (EM), among others.
One point of interest for the industry could be the strategy’s section on how the DoD plans to ensure its access to commercial capabilities, including the ability to surge commercial capacity to meet military requirements and capability needs in times of conflict. This would be done mainly through contracts and other agreements with suppliers, which would include cyber, data, and supply chain security requirements.
As part of this, the DoD suggests that contracts could be used to prioritize departmental requirements and capability needs over other commercial clients in specific situations. Various financial protection tools could be utilized to mitigate the risk for commercial entities employing these solutions in support of military operations, such as traditional commercial insurance and government-provided insurance.
The strategy indicates the possibility of military force being used to protect commercial assets, however, the specific circumstances under which this could occur remained undefined.