Amid the Cold War and intense competition between the Soviet Union and the United States, the USSR launched the first artificial satellite, Sputnik, on 4 October 1957 in an attempt to display its superiority, among the competition to develop missiles and other military technologies. The United States and its position in the globalized world are key to our analysis of why there was a need for the establishment of a Space Force within the Department of Defense, and why now. Another key responsibility is the tracking of space debris that could interfere with spacecraft or astronauts. 6 Its key responsibilities include operating and defending military and GPS satellites and ground stations that provide communications, navigation, and Earth observation. 5 Organized under the Department of the Air Force, the Space Force was created in response to the growing threat posed by near-peer competitors in space.
4 Although other space ventures and organizations had been previously established, this Space Force allowed for a branch of the military to be dedicated to the defense of America’s security, prosperity and access to space, similar to the branches of the military which are dedicated to protecting and securing the air, land, and sea. Using the United States as a comparator additionally allows for an analysis of what has already occurred with the US Space Force (USSF) to form a prediction about what shape the Australian Space Command might take and what challenges and triumphs it might expect.Įstablished on 20 December 2019, the USSF was formed to protect and secure the nation’s superiority in the “world’s newest war-fighting domain”: space. Given that the two nations are similar in terms of political and economic ideologies and practices, and that Australia takes most of its cues from the actions of the United States, the latter seems the most suitable comparator. This article discusses Australia’s proposal for a military space division within the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) using the United States, which has already established a military Space Force, as a comparator country. 3 This economic promise creates greater competition among nations. Contemporary space activity revolves around two poles: the generation and extraction of value from space products and services and space infrastructure and support industries.
2 Additionally, economic interests play a major role modern space competition is not limited to just the military sphere. 1 Competition between state and nonstate actors, rather than cooperation, dominates the strategic environment in space today. Human presence in space began in 1957, and, with society, has been evolving ever since.