The Space Force has its first-ever doctrine: ‘Spacepower’

This article by Paul Szoldra originally appeared on Task & Purpose

The U.S. Space Force on Monday released its first doctrinal document called “Spacepower.” 

The “Space Capstone Publication” was published nearly eight months after the military service was established on Dec. 20, 2019, according to a service press release. In it, the service makes the case for why the military operating in space is vital to U.S. national security and outlines operations, policy, and missions for the nascent service.

“One of the principles of an independent service is the creation of doctrine,” Gen. Jay Raymond, chief of space operations, said in a statement, adding that the document guides employment and will evolve “to stay on the cutting edge of defending our interests in space.”

Work on the 64-page document began in August 2019, according to the release, which included enlisted and officer collaborators from the Air Force, Army, and allied services from the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.

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The Space Force has three guiding responsibilities, according to the document. They are:

• Preserve freedom of action 
• Enable joint lethality and effectiveness
• Provide independent options

“The United States’ ability to project and employ national power is predicated on access to space. Therefore, unfettered access to and freedom to operate in space is a vital national interest,” the document says.

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It adds that military spacepower must “comprehensively and effectively integrate” into joint training, planning, and operations. Additionally, the service says it will provide U.S. leaders military options in space that can achieve “strategic effects.” 

But what will troops assigned to the service be called? They won’t be space cadets. Instead, the doctrine document calls them “space warfighters” who are first and foremost “warfighters who protect, defend, and project United States spacepower.”

You can find the full Spacepower doctrine here.

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