The Department of Defense (DoD) rolled out a new strategy on Tuesday which outlines how the Pentagon plans to integrate commercial space capabilities into military operations.
The Commercial Space Integration Strategy calls on the department to develop mechanisms — such as contracts and other agreements — to allow commercial-built space capabilities to be used for some military operations.
According to DoD officials, the strategy is based on the premise that the commercial space sector’s innovative capabilities, scalable production, and rapid technology refresh rates provide pathways to enhance the resilience of DoD space capabilities and strengthen deterrence.
The strategy identifies four top-level priorities to ensure the DoD maximizes the benefits of integrating commercial space solutions into military operations.
“The commercial space sector is driving innovation,” John F. Plumb, assistant secretary of defense for space policy said in a statement. “But the impact on national security will be measured by how well the department can integrate commercial capabilities into the way we operate, both in peacetime and in conflict.”
The first priority — ensure access to commercial solutions across the spectrum of conflict — aims to ensure that commercial space capabilities are available to the department whenever they are needed. Under this effort, the department plans to leverage “new contracts and other agreements as the formal mechanisms to ensure access to commercial solutions across the spectrum of conflict and mission areas,” the strategy states.
Another priority for the department is to achieve integration during peacetime – including in planning, training, and day-to-day operations – to allow the department to seamlessly utilize commercial space solutions during crisis and conflict.
A third priority — establish the security conditions to integrate commercial space solutions — aims to address the financial and security risks that commercial companies may face when supporting the Pentagon, and outlines potential actions for the department to provide financial and military protections if necessary.
For example, U.S. government-provided insurance is currently available for commercial companies working with the air and maritime military sectors, yet it’s not available for the space sector. The department plans to “evaluate gaps in protection from commercial insurance providers, the conditions under which U.S. government-provided insurance would be needed for the space domain, and whether those conditions have been met.”
The document also notes that military forces could be directed to protect and defend commercial assets that are contracted with the military, but it does not offer further details on what those protections would look like.
Lastly, the strategy emphasizes that the department will use its full range of available financial, contractual and policy tools to support the development of new commercial space solutions “that have the potential to support the joint force.”
The DoD’s new space strategy is separate from the Space Force’s upcoming commercial space strategy, expected to be released in the coming weeks.
According to Plumb, his office and the Space Force worked in collaboration on their respective strategies, but “the Pentagon’s is intended to create policy and structural guidelines for the entire department.”
