View When Elephants Fight in Space By Zhanna Malekos Smith PublishedJanuary 12, 2022 There is an insightful African proverb that says, “When elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers.” The same can be said for when states launch kinetic anti-satellite tests that produce harmful clouds of debris. Not only do these destructive tests—such as the Russian Federation’s missile test on November 15—undermine a sustainable space environment for all, but as the commercial […]
View The ASAT Prisoner’s Dilemma: Making the Case for U.S. Leadership and a Unilateral Moratorium on Kinetic-Energy Anti-Satellite Testing By Douglas Loverro, Brian G. Chow, Brandon W. Kelley, Brian Weeden, Robert Cardillo PublishedJanuary 11, 2022 On the 15th anniversary of the first post-Cold War kinetic-energy ASAT test, it’s time for the U.S. to take a stance two RAND researchers structured the fundamental tenets in game theory of what later became known as “The Prisoner’s Dilemma” – a description of a situation in which two perfectly rational actors, ignorant of […]
View Indian Space Policy for the Private Sector By Meera Rohera PublishedDecember 7, 2021 The Draft Space Activities Bill and its Challenges In 2017, the Indian Department of Space (DOS) released the Draft Space Activities Bill, a proposed bill setting goals and regulations for the private space industry. The Draft Bill was drawn up as a result of several startup companies in India expressing interest in space activities and […]
View Battle Networks and the Future Force: Part 2 By Todd Harrison PublishedNovember 3, 2021 This paper draws on lessons from previous attempts to improve battle network integration and explores how DoD can properly scope the problem and organize itself to effectively and efficiently acquire the systems needed to realize its vision for JADC2.
Congressional Testimony: NASA’s Future in Low Earth Orbit By Todd Harrison PublishedSeptember 21, 2021 The following testimony was presented to the House Science, Space, & Technology Committee during its “NASA’s Future in Low Earth Orbit: Considerations for ISS Extension and Transition” hearing on September 21, 2021. Chairman Beyer, Ranking Member Babin, and distinguished members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to testify on this important topic. The […]
View On-Orbit Servicing By Hannah Duke PublishedSeptember 16, 2021 On-orbit servicing is an emerging industry that provides access to satellites in orbit for repairs, upgrades, inspection, maneuvering without regret, and debris mitigation. These capabilities have the potential to revolutionize logistics and resiliency of DoD operations in space.
View Battle Networks and the Future Force: Part 1 By Todd Harrison PublishedAugust 5, 2021 As the first in a series that explores the future of battle networks in the U.S. military—what has become known as Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2)—this paper examines the importance of battle networks to modern military operations and presents a framework of five functional elements that make up a battle network. This framework provides a common basis for conceptualizing and comparing existing systems and proposed new capabilities in terms of how they contribute to JADC2.
View Space Threat Assessment 2021 By Todd Harrison, Kaitlyn Johnson, Joe Moye, Makena Young PublishedApril 1, 2021 Space Threat Assessment 2021 aggregates and analyzes publicly available information on the counterspace capabilities of other nations.
View Counterspace Timeline, 1959 – 2022 PublishedMarch 31, 2021 This repository of counterspace weapons data is comprised of tests, technology demonstrations, and unusual behaviors first identified in our annual Space Threat Assessment report series.
View Rethinking the Role of Remotely Crewed Systems in the Future Force By Todd Harrison PublishedMarch 3, 2021 driven by the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA), many senior military and political leaders lamented the effects these cuts were having on the U.S. military. In a major speech on national security during the 2016 presidential campaign, then-candidate Trump called for significant increases in the military and promised to “submit a new budget to […]