Policy

Here’s The Pentagon’s Initial Plan For Creating a Space Force

Parts of the Air Force, Navy and Army would move into a sixth branch, but the NRO will likely remain independent.

Policy

NASA Chief Lifts Sanctions on Russian Space Boss, Russia Says

Russian state media says the Trump administration will temporarily ease Crimea-related sanctions to allow a visit to Houston. NASA officials can’t — or won’t — say if that’s true.

Policy

Mattis Asks Trump to OK US Space Command, Pick Leaders

The Pentagon has made a number of internal moves to create the 11th combatant command.

Science & Tech

China’s Moon Missions Could Threaten US Satellites: Pentagon

A satellite on the far side of the moon might not be quite what the Chinese say, Air Force official warns.

Ideas

A Missile-Defense Layer in Space Is Affordable and Makes Sense

Critics warn about sky-high price tags while blocking efforts to divine the actual cost.

Ideas

China Has a ‘Space Force.’ What Are Its Lessons for the Pentagon?

The U.S. military must find new ways to leverage commercial innovation in order to contend with China in space.

Policy

USAF’s Space Force Cost-Estimate Is Likely Too High: Analyst

Todd Harrison says $13 billion is a high-ball figure meant to shift the debate.

Policy

Pentagon Appears to Concede USAF Point in Space Force Tug-of-War

Days after the Air Force secretary fired off a memo, the deputy defense secretary appeared to back off a plan for a new acquisition agency.

Policy

Air Force Pushes Back on Pentagon’s First Blueprints for Trump’s Space Force

In a pointed memo, Heather Wilson counters several Space Force proposals championed by Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan.

Ideas

Congress Wants a Space-Based Missile Defense System. That’s a Colossally Bad Idea

A provision in the 2019 defense authorization act orders the Pentagon to start development.

Science & Tech

How Rocket-Makers Ensure 3D-Printed Parts are Strong Enough for Space

Measure them against an industrial standard for welding called AWS D17.1 Class A.

Science & Tech

How A Billion-Dollar Satellite Gets to the Launch Pad

Before an ultra-secure communications military satellite soars into orbit, it has to fly to Florida aboard the U.S. Air Force's largest plane.

Defense Systems

GAO: Barriers to commercial satellite launch 'surmountable' for DOD

Centralizing data related to the Defense Department's work with commercial satellites could be one of the first tasks for a “Space Force.”

Ideas

Why the Space Force Is Just Like Trump University

The gap between the hype and reality of the proposed new branch of the military makes the project almost entirely an exercise in misleading branding.

Ideas

Ep. 15: Space Force is happening; The future of ISIS in Africa; Charlottesville, one year later; and more.

Welcome to our podcast about the news, strategy, tech, and business trends defining the future of national security.

Policy

Pence Makes Hard Sell For Trump's Space Force by 2020

The administration wants a new military service branch, but space mission's future in the Pentagon and Congress is far from certain.

Ideas

Do We Need a Space Force? That Depends on Our Answers to These Legal and Strategic Questions

The first question that we need to clarify is whether the U.S. and its future peer adversaries are willing to fight a war in space.

Policy

5 Unanswered Questions About Space Force

As Pentagon leaders plan changes to the U.S. military’s orbital-operations organizations, analysts wonder whether they have done all their homework.