Samuel L McNiel

Proposed Tenets of Spacepower: Six Enduring Truths Samuel L McNiel

The United States Air Force has a policy of using space as the high ground. It calls for capabilities to use spacepower in every conceivable way in conflict including missile defense, space control and creating significant terrestrial effects. Air Force Space Command has funded programs that will bring responsive launch vehicles and an ability to apply force directly from space while continuing to improve all the things they currently do in, to and from space. However, there are no tenets about how to best employ spacepower. This paper concludes now is the time to write these tenets. This will help guide the development of new programs and tactics, techniques and procedures (TTP). Without guiding, enduring truths there is no foundation to build upon, and the Air Forces risks building systems and developing TTP that do not ensure the most efficient and effective use of spacepower.