Space Commanders Across Europe and the Pacific Call for Increased Access to Commercial Satellite Data
Crusin' for Data: Space Force commanders are on the hunt for more commercial space goodies to level up their intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) game. From the African savannah to the bustling Indo-Pacific, Space Force leaders are amping up their consumption of commercial satellite data feeds.
"Every combatant command has overlooked users when it comes to commercial imagery – or any imagery, for that matter," said Brig. Gen. Anthony J. Mastalir, head honcho of U.S. Space Forces Indo-Pacific.
Most ISR from space comes from the Intelligence Community (IC), with heavy hitters like the National Reconnaissance Office and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency contributing. But the IC's main client is the Prez and the intel community, not tactical military applications. Commandoes have been complaining about not getting the data they need in a timely fashion. IC assets are limited, with only so many government satellites tasked at any given time.
But with the expansion of commercial satellite alternatives gracing the heavens, the NRO, NGA, and the Space Force are seriously considering beefing up their use of commercial imagery. All three entities have their eyes on more commercial imagery, with the Space Force's commercial space strategy identifying tactical surveillance and reconnaissance as top needs from industry.
The Space Force's Tactical Surveillance, Reconnaissance, and Tracking (TacSRT) program acts as a marketplace where military users can acquire information and imagery from commercial providers. Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, chief of Space Operations, has referred to it as "surveillance as a service," and it keeps commanders in the know who might not get their ISR requests filled otherwise.
"Even though INDOPACOM seems to get the lion's share of imagery from national assets," Mastalir said, "that doesn't mean that at the lower echelons, there are some requirements that don't even make it up to the J2 for actual collection. Engaging with those components at that level, we're able to identify potential applications for commercial sensing. I'm really excited about the future of not just the TacSRT program but about how we can better utilize commercial imagery in military planning."
Brig. Gen. Jacob Middleton, leader of U.S. Space Forces Europe-Africa, maintained his lips sealed on how he uses TacSRT for military ops, but he did admit that the program's ability to deliver intel "at scale and at the speed of relevance" is significant. Demand from his users is off the charts: "Anything where you need information quickly and relevant to what's going on around you is what I'm being asked to provide."
One of the few operational examples leaders cite was this summer when U.S. troops were packing up Air Base 201 in Niger amid community unrest; TacSRT helped security forces keep an eye out for potential threats. Mastalir and Middleton also highlighted that TacSRT has been beneficial in humanitarian and disaster responses, which can prove valuable in demonstrating the worth of U.S. partnership.
Space Awareness
While space commanders crave more commercial imagery from space, other Space Force leaders are eying commercial satellites for a better understanding of what's going on up there. Lt. Gen. Douglas A. Schiess, commander of Space Forces Space (S4S), is keen on increased space domain awareness. Just like his peers, who focus on terrestrial intel, Schiess wants as much information as possible in his space of operations.
"If there's a capability out there that someone has that can give me more space domain awareness, more characterization, more info on an adversary's platform or payload or whatever, and they're selling it, then I want to buy it," he said.
Commercial solutions may not replace the need for Space Force-owned space domain awareness systems, but Schiess said, "I want as much data as I can get." Indeed, space domain awareness is also featured in the assets USSF cited in its Commercial Space Strategy.
Across the board, operators and planners will need commercial industry to dish out as much information as possible, according to Lt. Gen. Stephen N. Miller Jr., head of Space Operations Command.
"The simple fact is the commercial vendors are in this game and providing capability that we can either leverage or not. We're going to leverage it to the max we can, whether it's some type of imagery or surveillance and reconnaissance capability that we can leverage for planning, all the way to space domain awareness."
Space
Key Insights: The United States Space Force's commercial space strategy for tactical surveillance, reconnaissance, and space domain awareness leans on the collaboration with commercial entities. Key elements of this strategy are:
- Hybrid Space Architecture: The Space Force is promoting a hybrid space architecture by integrating commercial solutions for dynamic satellite operations and enhanced space domain awareness.
- Filling Sensing Gaps: The Space Force is actively searching for commercial technologies to fill sensing gaps in low Earth orbit for surveillance and reconnaissance.
- Collaborative Data Acquisition and Synchronicity: The Space Force, courtesy of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), plays roles in acquiring and utilizing commercial remote-sensing data, avoiding redundancy and ensuring synchronized data acquisition processes.
- TacSRT Initiative: The Tactical Surveillance, Reconnaissance, and Tracking (TacSRT) initiative is essential to this strategy, focusing on the use of commercial geospatial intelligence to support tactical operations.
- Strategy for Space Superiority: Leveraging commercial innovations like AI-enhanced small satellites and quantum-based encryption are crucial for achieving U.S. space superiority, ensuring resilient and responsive defense capabilities.
- Adapting to Adversaries: The strategy prioritizes readiness for potential weaponization of innovation by adversaries, ensuring the U.S. stays a leader in space technology and security.
- The Space Force's commercial space strategy prioritizes the use of commercial solutions for space domain awareness, aiming to increase characterization and information on potential adversaries' platforms and payloads.
- Lt. Gen. Douglas A. Schiess, commander of Space Forces Space, has expressed interest in acquiring more commercial data to enhance space domain awareness capabilities.
- Across various operational and planning levels, the Space Force relies on commercial industries to deliver as much data as possible, especially for tactical surveillance, reconnaissance, and remote-sensing needs.
- The Tactical Surveillance, Reconnaissance, and Tracking (TacSRT) initiative plays a crucial role in this strategy, enabling the Space Force to acquire geospatial intelligence from commercial providers to support tactical operations.
- The space domain awareness aspect is also highlighted in the assets listed in the Space Force's Commercial Space Strategy, indicating a commitment to collaborating with commercial entities for enhanced space operations and security.
