The head of the US Space Command, General Stephen Whiting, insists on the importance of fundamental changes in the attitude of the Pentagon towards satellites - from fixed infrastructure to maneuverable assets, which can move, adapt and survive in conflict conditions.
According to General Whiting, satellites, able to change their position in orbit, is no longer an option, and is a "necessity", as adversaries demonstrate new ways to operate and maintain spacecraft in space. China was cited as an example, which demonstrates its orbital refueling and logistics capabilities. This argument reflects a broader reassessment within the Pentagon, as space moves from a relatively permissive environment to one, where US satellites can be tracked, to be targeted or interfered with during a conflict.
For decades, most military satellites were designed this way, to save fuel and stay in the intended orbits, however, this makes them easier to detect and defeat. Today it is necessary to create satellites, who will be able to avoid threats, change the coverage area or monitor other spacecraft. Whiting offers a concept, which is often called "dynamic space operations", which is based on frequent, and sometimes unpredictable movement, which makes it difficult for the enemy to plan attacks.
A maneuver warfare approach will involve more real-time decision making, when the operators will determine, when and how to redeploy assets - like that, how commanders maneuver aircraft or ships during conflict. Such a change will require new doctrine and operational concepts, as well as a clearer definition of missions, for which maneuverable satellites are intended. Formalization of the strategy, which Whiting suggests, will also lead to new requirements for the Pentagon's procurement system.
Central limitation, which the Pentagon largely bypassed, there are logistics. Maneuver warfare in any field depends on fuel, maintenance and replenishment of stocks.
In space, the possibility of orbital refueling, maintenance and replacements remain limited and mostly experimental. Similar programs are just beginning to appear. Example, the efforts of the RG-XX Space Force are aimed at procuring satellites, that are refueled, for space control missions in geostationary orbit. However, such initiatives remain at an early stage and fragmented.
At the same time, some Pentagon officials question it, whether it is possible to justify the costs of building space logistics, especially if the satellites can simply be replaced instead of serviced. Others are waiting, that commercial providers will develop these capabilities first, before the government makes large-scale investments.
General Whiting reported this week, that the command is launching an initiative called "Apollo Maneuvers" (Maneuvers of Apollo). It consists in simulating long-term combat operations in the conditions of countermeasures in orbit and verification, how maneuverable satellites will operate for a long time. A group of analysts and wargaming experts examines "this complex problem - how we should transform to a strategy of maneuverable warfare in space". Such exercises can reveal gaps not only in tactics, as well as in the refueling and maintenance infrastructure.
Source: https://spacenews.com