POSITION PAPER ON DISBANDING THE AIR FORCE INTO A SEPARATE AIR FORCE AND SPACE FORCE 1. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the need and inevitability of a separate Air and Space Force. It will conceptualize the technological benefits and implications that a separate Space Force could have. It will then discuss some of the perceived negative effects the separation of forces could have and review why this separation may not be necessary. It will culminate by discussing some of what the Air Force went through before separating from the Army, drawing comparisons to the debates concerning a separate Space Force. 2. Technology has long been a major deciding factor in armed conflict. Bronze and steel helped defeat the barbarians, the …show more content…
Proponents of keeping with a unified Air and Space Force would argue that space is simply an extension of air, and therefore the technologies would be best used to support the military where they already have shown strength and the ability to win. They view aerospace as a “seamless medium unconstrained by arbitrary divisions of the vertical dimension.”3 General Thomas White once wrote, “There is no division . . . between air and space. Air and space are an indivisible field of operations.”3 Current space technologies are essential for communication, surveillance, guidance, intelligence and the worldwide networking needed by the Air Force to complete its mission It has proven to be effective thus far. They work seamlessly together to accomplish their shared goals. The Air Force, Army, and the Navy work together and share the use of assets often, however proponents of a unified Air and Space Force fear that stripping the command of space assets from the Air Force would cripple the it’s ability to use GPS guided missiles and drones in the way it does today. The Air Force believes the centralized control of aerospace is the only logical way to achieve synergy between air and space commands. They believe air and space control will always have the need to be intertwined and one organization must encompass both, though the practice of joint command has already proven that separate branches working together is equally …show more content…
Under today’s command, the tools employed in space are specifically used as supporting assets for air and ground operations. Since the majority of space funds go to the Air Force, most assets are for the support of the Air Force mission and strategic bombing. This limited way of thinking will severely hinder the potential of space command. Before the Air Force had been established as an independent military branch from the Army, Giuio Douhet said the airplane could become a dominant force, but not until it was “freed from the fetters of ground commanders who did not understand [the] new invention.”4 Air Force driven command of space is running into the same limitations. Although space is a completely different medium than the atmosphere around Earth, because there is no immediately evident boundary between air and space, it is easy to understand why many treat it simply as an extension of air. However, unlike air, space is infinite and not confined to a close proximity to Earth. It is void of any substance, and it is not protected from cosmic radiation by an atmosphere like Earth’s. Operating in space also requires the application of a different set of physical laws and a different mentality of how it could be used.2 These differences lend credence to the theory that just as air power could not be fully developed under the doctrines and mindsets of a land-based military, a Space Force will not be able to reach its potential when constrained by the ideals of an
At the moment there is a ton of traffic in space and it is only building as more nations join the space faring ranks.14 This is a concern for every nation in space, as space forces are a foundational part to all military operations.15 Space Command is already a Major Command and it includes cyberspace which shows that it is important.16 With new technologies being developed and space travel becoming popular before the first public trip, it is only a matter of time till something happens and tensions rise.17 It is best to not wait for this to happen to make a change, and create the Space Force sooner rather than later.18 It is time just like when the Air Force was created from the Army Air Core as air power was the future, now space power is the future and it is time for the Space Force.19
The Space Race is remarkably similar to that of the arms race because of the parallel between the creation of the atomic bomb and the goal of reaching the moon. The United States’ bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki effectively established its place as the technologically superior nation; however, major milestones in space achieved early by the Soviets damaged America’s reputation. In 1957, Soviet scientists shocked the world by successfully launching the Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite, beyond the Kármán Line (the boundary of space). This amazing breakthrough “rattled American self-confidence. It cast doubts on America’s vaunted scientific superiority and raised some sobering military questions.” This blow to national pride along with the fear that the Soviets could potentially launch ICBMs from space led to “Rocket fever”. The sudden wave of nationalism and the desire to build a space program worthier to that of the Soviet Union led to the...
There is an ongoing debate on the issue of weaponizing space in order to protect our national space assets and achieve national strategic objectives. This is an issue because of the increase of more space faring nations trying to exploit the benefits of space and other nations also trying to develop capabilities to disrupt other from using it. This background paper will outline the current international laws and policies, our national policies in regard to space, current issues that catalyzed this debate, the benefits and disadvantage of weaponizing space.
...eir homes) and erosion. In a cultural and political context there was a competition between kings and nobles as to who led the civilization through war and other events that required military forces.
Tom Wolfe writes in the book “The Right Stuff” about early jet pilots that demonstrated extreme bravery, and behaviorisms that enabled them to be part of a furtive group of individuals. It has been said that these men usually assemble in groups among themselves in a way that solicited the men to be a part of a privileged membership. It is these pilots with proven courage, and abilities that will go forward testing the next barrier; space.
However, it is evident that the implementation of these specialized aviation units has enabled Delta Force to execute its missions with much more accuracy. America’s ability to reach out and touch someone has come a long way since the failed mission of Operation Eagle Claw. Ignoring the political side of things, it is very comforting to know that such a precision instrument exists. “You guys are the meanest and ugliest fuckers I’ve met in my life. But I love you. You guys saved my life and I’m eternally, eternally grateful…So long, guys.” (Kurt Muse)
The United States of America is a powerful and well known force throughout the world. It has become a superpower of nations in just about three hundred years, being one of the newest nations in existence today. Its military reaches out into several countries in the globe and holds a presence as a peacekeeper and wielder of democracy. Of the US military’s five branches, the Air Force is the ruler of the skies, keeping control of the earth’s aerospace. Without the Air Force Special Operations, the military could not complete operations as effectively or efficiently as it potentially could. The United States Air Force is a key part of America’s mission to spread and assist democracy throughout the world.
It seems since that dawn of the era of man we have always been in competition with one another. We have fought countless wars over every issue imaginable, with many great civilizations being founded and destroyed by war. Though with each new conflict comes newer and better technology. Technology is what drives civilizations forward, but it can also lead to its downfall. It is fascinating see how much technology has evolved over history, and how we have incorporated these innovations into newer technology. In past century technology has seen its greatest leap forward. This is in large part due to the two major World Wars that plagued the early part of the 20th century. (Koch p.122)
It is within man’s blood and nature to explore, and space is our next New World. Man’s first achievement in space travel was the launch of the Sputnik on October 4, 1957. For the next decades, space travel was roaring like a rocket, fueled by man’s desire to explore, man’s desire for knowledge, and man’s desire to beat his enemies. However, these impulses have died out as the well of government funding has been diverted to wars and debts, and the interest of the American people has been diverted to wars and debts. Amidst all these issues it is debated as to whether or not space travel is worth the money and the attention of scientists, particularly since humanity faces so many issues on earth currently. However, because of the past inventions, current services, and future benefits, space travel is indeed worth the money and attention of governments and people. It is within our hands to control man’s advancement, and space travel is the next venue to do so.
The National Space Policy has undergone changes throughout its new creation on August 31, 2006, under both the Obama administration and the Bush administration. The act originally was established for overarching national policies that governed the conduct of U.S space activities. President Dwight Eisenhower said “More than by any other imaginative concept, the mind of man is aroused by the thought of exploring the mysteries of outer space. Through such exploration, man hopes to broaden his horizons, add to his knowledge, improve his way of living on Earth.” With that statement, is where our time in space begins.
NASA’s research and innovation looked promising, but it came at a cost. Money, resources, and spacecraft accidents, most famously Apollo 13 all hindered NASA’s research. In the 21st century, the debate over funding for NASA is at its peak since the birth of the organization in 1958, especially when there are numerous problems throughout the world. Is the money spent on space exploration worth the advantages and advances it contributes to society? When considering this topic, one might ask themselves, why explore space?
Space is unimaginably vast, and the problems keeping humans from mastering the exploration of and colonization of space is equally daunting. Impressive advances have been made within the past century, and dedicated efforts to make equally impressive strides in the next hundred years are in place. Space research will not yield resutls overnight, but the information obtained along the way will have a positive impact throughout the scientific community and the world's population in turn. With a goal of extraplanetary habitation, humans can prepare protective measures for neutralizing danger and managing resources underwater, in space, and on land, domestic and alien. The scientific and cultural unity required to reach this goal has the potential to propel mankind as a species and farther through the stars than ever imagined.
Tice, Brian P. (1991). Unmanned Aerial Vehicles – The Force Multiplier of the 1990s. Airpower Journal.
...space can change some of design of spacecraft and cost of operations. Economically will be advantageous to anticipate and implement these changes early in the design and manufacture of satellites and launch vehicles.
If we compare the present with the past, if we trace events at all epochs to their causes, if we examine the elements of human growth, we find that Nature has raised us to what we are, not by fixed laws, but by provisional expedients, and that the principle which in one age effected the advancement of a nation, in the next age retarded the mental movement, or even destroyed it altogether. War, despotism, slavery, and superstition are now injurious to the progress of Europe, but they were once the agents by which progress was produced. By means of war the animated life was slowly raised upward in the scale, and quadrupeds passed into man. By means of war the human intelligence was brightened, and the affections were made intense; weapons and tools were invented; foreign wives were captured, and the marriages of blood relations were forbidden; prisoners were tamed, and the women set free; prisoners were exchanged, accompanied with presents; thus commerce was established, and thus, by means of war, men were first brought into amicable relations with one another. By war the tribes were dispersed all over the world, and adopted various pursuits according to the conditions by which they were surrounded. By war the tribes were compressed into the nation. It was war which founded the Chinese Empire. It was war which had locked Babylonia, and Egypt, and India. It was war which developed the genius of Greece. It was war which planted the Greek language in Asia, and so rendered possible the spread of Christianity. It was war which united the world in peace from the Cheviot Hills to the Danube and the Euphrates. It was war which saved Europe from the quietude of China. It was war which made Mecca the centre of the East. It was war which united the barons in the Crusades, and which destroyed the feudal system.