Rick M Patenaude

How to Institutionalize Space Superiority in the United States Air Force Rick M Patenaude

The Air Force talks about space superiority, but as a whole it has not institutionalized space superiority as it has other mission areas such as air superiority. Air superiority is at the heart of what the Air Force does. Everyday airmen go to work and think about, plan for, wargame, and practice air superiority. It is not assumed; it is won. It is woven into the fabric of the Air Force and understood as essential at every level. That is what the Air Force must do to institutionalize space superiority-weave it into the fabric of the Air Force and make it a top priority mission to be won rather than assumed. Institutionalizing space superiority would require making space superiority an established, clearly identifiable mission with formal, discernible organizational structures that standardize practices and approaches, and codify officially sanctioned beliefs. The result of institutionalization would be to take space superiority and make it a mainstream mission of the Air Force. All air professionals should understand the basic concepts and requirements, and why space superiority is important. All space professionals should do their everyday jobs with the knowledge that space superiority is essential, that it must be taken in to account at every level, at every step, and that without it, all other space missions are vulnerable. The Air Force can institutionalize space superiority in five steps designed to create operational Counterspace doctrine, emphasize the Counterspace mission area, create an identifiable and interactive space superiority community, inculcate space superiority mission concepts, and create a global Counterspace command structure.