Distributed Multi-Level Situation Awareness and Response Management for Defensive Counterspace

The U.S. is more dependent on space than any other nation. At the same time, there are many extant capabilities to deny, disrupt or physically destroy space systems and ground facilities. As a result, recommendations have been made that we invest more heavily in improved space situational awareness and attack warning capabilities, protection/defensive countermeasures, and prevention and negation systems. The same commission making these recommendations concluded “the U.S. must have capabilities to defend its assets against hostile acts and to negate the hostile use of space against U.S. interests.” The foundation of any counterspace capability is space situation awareness. We will, as the first part of our effort under this proposal and as part of a larger CP3 team focused on Indigenous Space Situational Awareness, deploy advanced space situation awareness capabilities at the JSpOC. In addition, and following successful demonstration and leave-behind of an integrated multi-level SSA capability at the JSpOC, we will continue to support and refine the system and explore extensions, both in SSA and in resource/response management.