The Space Force has released its first official doctrine, which will guide the country’s newest military branch as it maps out its future.
The Space Capstone Publication (SCP) defines spacepower “as a separate and distinct form of military power,” and it will be used to help develop new doctrines and training programs.
“Perhaps the important thing it does, is it sets the taxonomy for how we talk about space as a warfighting domain,” Todd Harrison said, noting the terms throughout the document that will be used by space operators to communicate across the military.
The Navy, Army and Air Force have all developed space capabilities over the past half-century, but the Space Force will allow the military to independently develop space protocol. Spacepower will now be viewed the same by the military as landpower, seapower, airpower and cyberpower, according to the SCP.
While the SCP will operate as a foundation to the force, it is expected to be revised more frequently than doctrines at other branches. “That reflects the dynamic nature of space operations, and how we have to be able to adapt very quickly,” Harrison said.
“You can’t just set things in doctrine and lock it in, and only review it every few years,” Harrison added. “At the tactical level, it has to be evolving continuously.”
