Today, guardians go to space only in popular misconception, but tomorrow? There might be solid tactical reasons to put Space Force personnel in orbit, argues a new report from the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.
“The adaptability and flexibility of human decision-making, as well as their ability to conduct a variety of mission operations, could present fundamental challenges to an adversary’s decision calculations,” the report said.
Thursday’s report, titled “A Broader Look at Dynamic Space Operations: Creating Multi-Dimensional Dilemmas for Adversaries,” says the Space Force must make all of its systems, not just its satellites, more maneuverable, flexible, and survivable amid China’s rapid push to improve technology for tracking and targeting U.S. military forces.
Charles Galbreath, the former Space Force officer and current senior fellow at the Mitchell Institute who wrote the report said putting guardians physically in space may also give the military an advantage.
“It is important to remember the fact that the most flexible system ever launched into space by the United States is the human being,” the report said. “Just as human astronauts were essential to the repair of and upgrades to the Hubble Space Telescope and the rescue of several other satellites, guardians in space may be essential for future Space Force missions.”
The report’s emphasis on making Space Force architecture more dynamic—defined as a strategy of upgrading assets for increased versatility, adaptability, and maneuverability—comes as reports of counter-space weapons increase, from jamming GPS in warzones near Russia to enhanced satellite maneuvering displays by China, according to analysts.
Repairing and refueling future satellites is a major part of making U.S. assets survivable against adversaries, but the service also needs to update command and control systems on the ground and use Space Force assets like the highly-secretive X-37B spyplane for operational mission instead of experimental ones, according to the report. The report also says putting humans aboard crucial space assets raises the stakes if an enemy decides to strike.
“There is, of course, another facet of humans in space, which is the potential to raise the threshold of acceptability for hostile actions that may be lethal to humans,” the report said. “Harming an uncrewed satellite is one thing; harming a space station with military crew on it is a completely different risk calculus for an adversary to consider.”
John Shaw, the former deputy leader of U.S. Space Command, said during a virtual Mitchell Institute event Thursday that he’s been skeptical about putting guardians in space, especially as autonomous abilities become more prevalent. But the retired Space Force officer also noted it’s “inevitable,” and pointed to strategic circumstances where it could make sense.
“It’s probably when we’re projecting power across great distances, and it’s probably so they can be closer to an intense command and control capability where you need humans in the decision making,” Shaw said.
While the service has not sent any of its guardians into space for military operations, it has loaned some of its service members to NASA for space exploration. Mike Hopkins became the first guardian in space when he transferred to the service branch from the Air Force aboard the International Space Station in 2020. Space Force Brig. Gen. Nick Hague served as the NASA SpaceX Crew-9 commander and returned from outer space earlier this year after a 171-day mission.
“I think that the Space Force needs to be thinking about that inevitability and what steps it will take to get there. We can’t wake up one day and say, ‘My gosh, we need guardians in space,’” Galbreath said during the event. “We needed to make that decision 10 years ago, because it’s going to take that long to develop the pipeline and the training and the capabilities in order to enable that.”
Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman announced in September at the Air & Space Force Association’s conference that the service is working on a planning document predicting future enemy trends through 2040 that will help officials better acquire key technologies and prioritize missions. Among the items on the service’s wishlist is creating a “live aggressor squadron” that would allow guardians to practice fighting off attacks on satellites.
