One Small Step for Space Acquisition Doctrine
Spacepower , the U.S. Space Force (USSF) Space Capstone Publication, recognizes engineering and acquisition, traditionally grouped as a single career field, as distinct among the seven disciplines of spacepower (HQ, USSF, 2020). These disciplines directly support the Space Force’s core competencies, ultimately enabling it to meet its cornerstone responsibilities of “Preserving Freedom of Action, Enabling Joint Lethality & Effectiveness, and Providing Independent Options.” The Space Force will secure the nation’s interests in, from, and to space by fulfilling these responsibilities, and every discipline plays a vital role in attaining mastery in space, particularly space warfare (HQ, USSF, 2020). A comparison of the disciplines of operations or intelligence with acquisition presupposes that they may appear quite different in their roles, responsibilities, and functions. This assessment holds true, but not when considering the broader strategic context. The Space Force is building a culture of space professionals who are all foundationally the same—Guardians who are purpose-built with a space warfighting mentality, a mindset traditionally guided by doctrine.
The Space Force is building a culture of space professionals who are all foundationally the same— Guardians who are purpose-built with a space warfighting mentality, a mindset traditionally guided by doctrine.
The operations, intelligence, and cyber spacepower disciplines have legacies of doctrine that are either Joint or Service-specific. The Space Force has doctrine for operations and intelligence, although it does not have cyber or acquisition doctrine. Cyber could feasibly be added as part of operational doctrine nested underneath the Space Force Keystone level of its doctrine hierarchy; but in its absence, the Space Force can leverage Joint Publication (JP) 3-12, Joint Cyberspace Operations . The closest acquisition doctrinal document is Department of the Army Pamphlet (DA PAM) 70-3 , a manual thoroughly explaining the implementation of all aspects of the Army materiel acquisition process and the DoD 5000 series (Department of the Army, 2009). The document is more aligned with a policy than it is with the intent of a doctrinal
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Defense ARJ, Summer 2025, Vol. 32 No. 2: 132—193
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