The Space Force, like services in other domains, will be responsible for organizing, training and equipping the mission. Space Force, a discrete geographical combat command and the sixth branch of the United States military. Specifically, Article I which states that “space exploration and use of outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, shall be carried out for the benefit and interest of all countries, and the restriction of Article II that outer space and celestial bodies” are not subject to appropriation by vindication of sovereignty, through use or occupation, or by any other means. However, three Space Policy Directives, a speech by the Vice President and a Department of Defense (DoD) report later, a United States Space Force seems ready to move from campaign rhetoric to bureaucratic reality.
Missiles) are placed on board satellites (or in outer space) or that states use such weapons in self-defense. While the current domestic legal regime is generally permissive, the foundations must now be laid to ensure that the Space Force can carry out its mission with as few inhibitors as possible. In short, there is a small legal window in current international space law for conducting a United States Space Force. The current evolution of military space power is intertwined with the rise of the “NewSpace industry”.
Based in part on my chapter in The Future Law of Armed Conflict (soon to be published in the Lieber Studies Series), I describe the types of legal issues animated by military space activities (but I don't intend to resolve them in this short article). Although it is clear that the Space Force is being organized, equipped and trained to conduct military information operations, it may be less clear under which legal authorities it will conduct information operations in space. As noted in previous writings on space law (Lee (200; Bourbonniere and Lee (200), Article IV of the Outer Space Treaty specifies that “nuclear weapons or any other type of weapons of mass destruction shall not be placed in orbit, installed in space or built on celestial bodies. SpaceX, while primarily a launch provider, is entering satellite communications and is in the process of launching approximately 12,000 satellites of its own.
The man who was shot dead outside a remote Space Force station in New Hampshire came to the front door with a gun. At a recent campaign rally, President Trump is quoted as saying: “It's not enough to have a U.S. presence in space. Subject to an ongoing interpretative dispute between the United States and other states, “Peaceful purposes do not rule out that military ships or personnel operate peacefully in outer space; scientific research conducted by military personnel is even noted for their protection.
