U.S. Space Command on July 27 published “The Space Warfighting Environment 2040,” an unclassified strategic framework outlining how the military intends to sustain American space superiority over the next 15 years.
The document identifies China’s rapid expansion of space-based military capabilities as the primary driver of the framework. Recent Chinese satellite launches that the Pentagon has flagged as potentially dual-use military platforms have accelerated concerns about the contested nature of the space domain.
The framework outlines how USSPACECOM plans to enhance joint force readiness and integrate space operations with ground, air, sea and cyber domains. It is designed to guide investment decisions, doctrine development and partnership strategies.
Space has become a fully contested military domain, with both China and Russia developing anti-satellite weapons, electronic warfare capabilities and space-based surveillance systems that challenge U.S. freedom of action in orbit.
The document is SPACECOM’s first public strategic vision for the 2040 timeframe and signals the most significant restructuring of U.S. military space posture in a generation. It acknowledges that the U.S. military’s dependence on space-based communications, navigation and intelligence makes orbital assets both critical and vulnerable.
GPS, satellite communications and space-based missile warning systems are essential to both military operations and civilian life in the United States. Threats to these systems have implications for everything from precision-guided weapons to cell phone navigation.
The framework is intended for use by defense planners, congressional appropriators and allied nations with space programs that partner with U.S. forces.