Securing the Final Frontier: The 21st Century Space Race by Ian Kim (A23)

by Chris Burke
Feb 04

On November 14th, Tufts ALLIES held its annual Civil Military Relations Conference (CMRC) virtually on “Securing the Final Frontier: The 21st Century Space Race”. The conference covered issues surrounding the unique security challenges of the space domain along with the newly created US Space Force. This year’s keynote speaker was Paul Szymanski, an expert with extensive experience in all fields related to space control: policy, strategy, simulations, surveillance, survivability, threat assessment, long-range strategic planning, and command and control. In addition, he has a comprehensive experience base, having worked directly with multiple services (Air Force, Army, Navy, Marines), civilian agencies (NASA, DARPA, FEMA), and from the Pentagon (Secretary of the Air Force) to systems development (Space and Missile Systems Center), technology development (Air Force Research Lab) to operational field test (China Lake Naval Test Center).

Mr. Szymanski has also participated in fifteen different military exercises involving space and terrestrial war-fighting operations in simulated Battle Management, Command and Control (BMC2) centers. Many of these were at the Joint and Combined (international allies) integrated levels of engagement.

Mr. Szymanski began his presentation with a simulation of a GPS satellite array, thus visualizing space assets and highlighting their importance to American security. He covered the decades-long history of space warfare as well as its various degrees of severity, from merely disrupting space operations to completely incapacitating satellites.

Mr. Szymanski also explained the unique aspects of space warfare. For examples, space battles are brief (often less than 24 hours) and involve satellites with limited mobility. To impact the conflict’s outcome, space assets have to be at the right place at the right time, stressing the importance of prior planning and limiting the involvement of external support. Space conflicts also have long term consequences, such as prompting revisions to international law and creating space debris fields. Politicians and military leaders will need to consider these lasting effects should they engage in space warfare.

The presentation was followed by a Q&A session, with the audience asking questions covering the viability of conventional weapons in space and how protected are private satellites in conflict among other topics.

Watch the recording here: