Research firm offers assessment of Space Force

The research organization RAND Corporation recently offered an assessment of the Space Force’s role, determining most space activities in the Department of Defense should be moved into the new service.

“Launching a Space Force offers the opportunity to increase U.S. military capability, particularly when the United States has to give more consideration to potential threats from other nations in space,” Michael Spirtas, the lead author, a senior political scientist and associate director of RAND’s International Security and Defense Policy Center, said.

RAND’s scope of work involved analyzing career field sustainability while drawing lessons from other defense organizations, officials said, noting the report examined the effectiveness, efficiency, independence, and sense of identity for the new service.

The report indicates most space operational units and space acquisition organizations should be moved into the Space Force, acknowledging decisions regarding transferring the Missile Defense Agency’s space acquisition activities require deeper analysis.

“The transfer of these functions will likely create new seams between the Space Force and the other services and the organizations it supports,” Yool Kim, an author of the report and senior engineer at RAND, said. “For example, some of these ‘seams’ could potentially slow operations in a kill chain that relies on sensors or communication assets in space to support kinetic attacks, reducing the capabilities of the joint force.”