The U.S. Space Force has released an internal “Doctrine Document 1,” which is a statement aimed at its servicemembers, known as “Guardians.” It defines the key role it plays in defending America. We provide a brief look at key points.
The Space Force, codifies why we exist as a Service, who we are as Guardians, and how we employ spacepower to drive the success of the joint force. To ensure unity of effort, it is essential that each of us fully internalizes these concepts and embodiesthem as we engage with the entirety of the joint force, our allies, and partners.
At the heart of this publication are six undeniable truths that I believe encapsulate our purpose.Space Force capabilities are critical to the joint force and the American way of life. Space has never been more vital to our national security or to our prosperity.
At least half of the United States’ critical infrastructure depends on space, and the joint force is sized with the assumption that military spacepower provides its backbone. In modern warfare, without space, kill chains do not close, operations are less synchronized, indications and warnings are constrained, and we lose.
The Space Force must defend its capabilities, or the joint force will be unable to project power. Space matters, and we must be prepared to defend it. Our adversaries understand the importance of spacepower and are ready and willing to take it from us.
Our mission is to secure our Nation’s interests in, from, and to space. Space is our responsibility, and Guardians must contest and control the domain to ensure freedom of action.
The Space Force must protect the joint / combined force from space-enabled targeting, or the joint / combined force will be unable to meet military objectives. Because space also matters to our adversaries, we must be ready to deny hostile spacepower. Adversary space capabilities allow them to hold our forces at risk. Our Sister-service airborne, maritime, and land-based capabilities cannot affect the battlefield if they are targeted over the horizon before they even reach theater.
The joint force depends on Guardians to break these kill chains.
Space is a warfighting domain, not a collection of supporting activities. In conflict, space will be a contested environment. We are the military Service dedicated to fighting in it. We do not merely provide support functions—we also employ military force to achieve space superiority in order to ensure our freedom of maneuver.
The Space Force is responsible for organizing, training, and equipping critical space capabilities but is also responsible for performance of warfighting operations as an integral part of the joint force. It is our job to organize, train, and equip space forces, but we are also responsible for conducting warfighting operations in space. Space Force units of action align under Service components, where they operate under the authority of combatant commanders using Service-developed tactics and doctrine. Guardians are, and always will be, warfighters.
Guardians are uniquely and specifically trained, educated, and experienced in warfighting activities in, from, and to the space domain. Guardians are the only warfighters with the dedicated career-long training, education, and experience specifically designed to achieve space superiority. Guardians are preeminent space warfighters with the knowledge and expertise necessary to achieve US military objectives in the domain.
If you want to win a war in space, you must have Guardians driving that part of the campaign. Our ability to adapt to and outpace emerging threats will be instrumental in preserving our superiority in space during this era of strategic competition. We must evolve, take risks, and solve problems with urgency. Space is the linchpin in modern warfare, and the capabilities that the Space Force provides form the backbone of the joint force.
Our success or failure hinges entirely upon the performance of Guardians. At every level in any role, it is our responsibility to sharpen our readiness and to prepare for the challenges before us.
Time and again, Guardians have demonstrated the confidence and skills necessary to overcome any obstacle, and it is Guardians who will ensure the Space Force answers our Nation’s call.