UNITED STATES AIR FORCE OPERATIONS
Section II. USAF Space Operations
9-12. USAF SPACE OPERATIONS
The United States is the world’s foremost aerospace power, and USAF space forces are essential elements of that power. Space systems and capabilities enhance the precision, lethality, survivability, and agility of all operations – air, land, sea, and special operations. Space operations are key elements in achieving global awareness and maintaining information superiority. Space assets contribute significantly to overall aerospace superiority and support terrestrial-based forces across the entire spectrum of military operations.
Space and terrestrial-based forces complement each other. Used properly, space forces are a significant force multiplier for terrestrial-based forces. In addition to supporting terrestrial operations, many military functions previously performed by terrestrial forces may be accomplished by space forces. In some cases, space may be the focus of operations and may be supported by complementary terrestrial-based forces. As space and air forces are fully integrated into a total aerospace force, future space assets may not be only a force multiplier but may be the force of decision itself.
Space force enhancement in the areas of communications; reconnaissance, intelligence, surveillance, and target acquisition; navigation and positioning; weather, terrain and environmental monitoring; and missile launch detection and warning have proven invaluable in recent operations. The Persian Gulf War in 1990 has been called the first "space war" because it was the first time that space systems were widely used in tactical operations. That was, however, a lopsided example because the U.S. and its coalition partners had access to, and control of, a variety of space systems while Iraq had almost none. In future conflicts, the US may have to fight for space superiority. Knowledge of space forces and their capabilities and limitations is essential to successful control and optimal execution of aerospace power.
Just as centralized control and decentralized execution are essential to air power, the same applies to space power. Since space forces’ effects and contributions are global in nature and include critical national assets, they are tasked and assigned from a global perspective. Theater commanders do not have actual physical control of the satellite, its control systems, or ground control nodes. However, in a regional conflict, theater commanders have control over accurate and timely products from space and normally have tactical control over space component equipment and its application in the area of responsibility (AOR).
9-13. USAF SPACE COMMAND
United States Space Command (USSPACECOM) is the unified command exercising control authority over Service space command components. Within USSPACECOM, the Fourteenth Air Force (14 AF) commander is the Air Force component commander designated to manage, integrate, and direct Air Force space forces. The 14 AF commander provides space support to theater forces as required or when requested. Currently, theater support teams augment the JFACC staff to provide space expertise to support planning and execution of air and space taskings or missions. As the Air Force moves to more integrated aerospace operations, reliance on theater support teams will diminish as space specialists are assigned to permanent duty on numbered air force staffs.
Assets not assigned to a Service component provide an increasing portion of the space systems capabilities available to the theater commander. These assets include, but are not limited to, US national systems, leased commercial assets, or multinational force assets. They are closely linked to the air campaign planning and execution process for situational awareness and battlespace preparation. Command and control of these assets seldom follow the standard combatant command (command authority), operational control, or tactical control rules. To obtain the widest range of benefits available from these assets requires flexibility and innovation on the part of the commander.
Air Force space operations focus on space control, force application, force enhancement, and space force support. Gaining air and space superiority is a primary goal of a military campaign and must be achieved early to ensure freedom of action. Like air superiority, space superiority helps to provide the freedom to conduct operations without interference from an adversary. Hostile powers must not be permitted to freely use space systems against US national interests.
9-14. USAF SPACE CONTROL
Space control is the means by which space superiority is gained and maintained to assure friendly forces can use the space environment while denying its use to the enemy. To accomplish this, space forces must survey space, protect the ability to use space, prevent adversaries from exploiting US or allied space services, and negate the ability for adversaries to exploit their space forces. Counterspace is the mission carried out to achieve space control objectives by gaining and maintaining control of activities conducted in or through the space environment. Counterspace involves activities conducted by land, sea, air, space, information and/or special operations forces. Counterspace includes offensive and defensive operations.
a. Offensive Counterspace. Operations that destroy or neutralize an adversary’s space systems or the information they provide at a time and place of our choosing through attacks on the space, terrestrial, or communication link elements of space systems. The principal means of conducting offensive counterspace operations is through the use of terrestrial-based forces such as air attacks against space system ground nodes or supporting infrastructure. Offensive counterspace operations achieve five major purposes: deception, disruption, denial, degradation, and destruction of space assets or capabilities.
b. Defensive counterspace operations consist of active and passive actions to protect U.S. space-related capabilities from enemy attack or interference. The objective of active defense is to detect, track, identify, intercept, and destroy or neutralize enemy space and missile forces. Passive defense reduces the vulnerabilities, protects, and increases the survivability of friendly space forces and information.
9-15. FORCE APPLICATION
Force application is defined as attacks against terrestrial-based targets carried out by military weapon systems operating in space. Currently, there are no force application assets operating in space, but technology and national policy could change so that force application missions could be performed from platforms operating in space. For example, space systems such as the space-based laser could provide space-based attacks against terrestrial-based targets and provide timely suppression of enemy defenses to improve the penetration effectiveness of air assets. Space-based weapon systems that deliver this firepower may rely on other space-based systems for target acquisition, command and control, navigation, mid-course corrections, and terminal guidance.
9-16. FORCE ENHANCEMENT
Force enhancement operations consist of those operations conducted from space with the objective of enabling or supporting terrestrial-based forces. Communications; reconnaissance, intelligence, surveillance, and target acquisition; navigation and positioning; weather, terrain and environmental monitoring; and missile launch detection and warning help reduce uncertainty and friction at all three levels of war – strategic, operational, and tactical. Enabling and supporting space operations increase a force’s ability to detect, plan, and react faster than an adversary. Force enhancement must also include consideration of civil, commercial, and allied space support that can augment DOD space systems.
Space force support is carried out by terrestrial-based elements of military space forces to sustain, surge, and reconstitute elements of a military space system or capability. These activities deploy, sustain, or augment on-orbit spacecraft, direct missions, and support other government or civil organizations. Space force support involves spacelift and satellite operations.
9-17. SPACELIFT
Spacelift. Provides the Air Force with the ability to project power by delivering satellites, payloads, and material into or through space. The Air Force uses a combination of military, DOD civilian, and civilian contractor personnel to process, integrate, assemble, check out, and launch space vehicles. Civil and commercial contributions further expand the number of launch sites available to spacelift. During periods of increased tension or conflict, a spacelift objective is to launch and deploy new or replacement space assets and capabilities as necessary to achieve national security objectives. Spacelift operations are conducted to deploy, sustain, or augment satellite constellations supporting U.S. military operations.
9-18. SATELLITE OPERATIONS
Satellite Operations. The Air Force Satellite Control Network (AFSCN) provides a means to maneuver, support, and sustain on-orbit forces. The AFSCN is a worldwide network of single-system and multiple-system facilities and sensors which provides telemetry, tracking, and commanding (TT&C) support, conducts network processes, and distributes mission data for virtually all DOD and U.S. civilian spacecraft and selected foreign space programs.
For a complete overview of USAF Space Operations, refer to AFDD 2-2, Space Operations, dated 28 Aug 98.