By Zhu Jiang

The picture shows a radar station in Arizona operated the US space-monitoring technology company LeoLabs in partnership with the US Space Force.

According to foreign media reports, the US Space Command has recently strengthened its collaboration with commercial companies to advance the militarization of commercial space capabilities on the basis of such documents as the DOD Commercial Space Integration Strategy, the US Space Force Commercial Space Strategy, and so on. This move could potentially reshape the nature of future warfare and operational methods and is worthy of attention.

Military- commercial cooperation is becoming increasingly close

Reports indicate that to maintain its operational advantage in the space domain, the US Space Force is continuously advancing the militarization of commercial space capabilities. Focusing on building capacities in areas such as situational awareness, command and communication, reconnaissance, and early warning, it gives full play to commercial technological advantages to establish a resilient space industrial base. The efforts to deepen cooperation with commercial companies primarily focus on two aspects.

One is to expand cooperation with more members. In 2015, the US Space Force established the Commercial Integration Cell (CIC) at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. It aims to rely on private companies to assist the US Space Force in identifying, diagnosing, and resolving anomalies satellites in orbit, and provide commercial satellite communications and imagery foe the US army. It will enhance the US military's space domain awareness, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities, and drive the development of more resilient space systems.

The other is to increase business contracts. To improve the efficiency of project cooperation, the US Space Force established in 2023 the Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve (CASR) under the commercial space office, which allows commercial space assets, such as satellite communications and remote sensing systems, to be prioritized for US military use during emergencies. Gen. Michael A. Guetlein, vice chief of Space Operations, United States Space Force, revealed at the National Security Innovation Forum in Washington D.C. recently that the CASR plans to award 20 contracts to private companies within two years. These contracts will require the provision of corresponding commercial support to the US Space Force during both peacetime and conflict. It is reported that these commercial companies will participate in relevant military exercises organized by the Pentagon in 2025.

The capacity building is taking shape

Analysts believe that the series of actions of the US Space Force to deepen collaboration with private companies reflect its continued efforts to advance the "commercial-to-military" capability development framework in recent years. Currently, the US Space Force's efforts to militarize commercial space capabilities have begun to take shape.

The supporting mechanisms are constantly improved. On one hand, the US military, building on the 2018 National Space Strategy, has continuously refined the elements of militarizing commercial space capabilities. For instance, in its Enterprise SATCOM Vision in 2020, the US Space Force proposed establishing a unified satellite communication architecture that integrates military and commercial capabilities. On the other hand, the US Space Force established specialized organizations such as the Space Development Agency and the Commercial Space Office to promote the implementation of relevant strategic visions. These entities collaborate with organizations like the National Reconnaissance Office, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, to continuously expand avenues for partnerships with mature commercial companies to enhance capabilities in the space domain.

Progress has been made in integrating capabilities. According to public reports, the US Space Force has achieved phased progress in integrating and utilizing commercial capabilities. In terms of decision-making support, the US Space Force is leveraging the vast data from commercial satellite systems to establish a unified database within the Advanced Battle Management System, which is the core technology platform of the Joint All-Domain Command and Control operational concept, to provide decision-making support for command operations in all-domain warfare. In terms of communication support, the US Space Force relies on the Military  Satellite Communications Systems to provide satellite communication links for personnel operating in highly contested or restricted communication environments through a military-commercial integrated approach. In addition, the US Space Force is focusing on building a secure military-commercial integrated space Internet to address the incompatibility between government networks and commercial satellite networks.

Analysts believe that the strong push of the US Space Force to develop commercial-to-military capabilities aims to secure an advantage in future space arms races. However, the successful implementation of this plan still faces numerous challenges. For instance, the acquisition plans of the Pentagon fall short of the objectives outlined in the commercial space technology roadmap, certain commercial space services are not aligned with the space requirements of the US military, and so on.