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rather than a support function. Second, the Space Force culture should focus on developing Guardians as “warrior engineers.” The report states that the Space Force should develop and communicate an enterprise technical architecture that is rooted in warfighting doctrine. Such an architecture would provide an on-ramp for horizontal and vertical integration of space capabilities (Shelton et al., 2021). Furthermore, as the newest and smallest Service, the Space Force has an opportunity to be bold in its approach to technical talent management and building a culture of innovation and risk-taking. Given the intellectual demands required to successfully navigate space acquisition, the Space Force must implement selective criteria for its personnel. The study recommends that the Space Force adopt selective hiring criteria similar to those used by the NRO and Space Rapid Capabilities Office (SpRCO) (Shelton et al., 2021). Each of these recommendations—a warfighting technical architecture and selective talent management— were predicated on the need for the Space Force to develop and integrate warfighting doctrine. The literature review introduced an alternative perspective on military doctrine, framing it as a critical tool for all operational and functional disciplines. The review of the current state of Space Force doctrine outlined its significance to the Service, examined how it aligns with Joint publications, and highlighted opportunities to deviate from norms by establishing new doctrinal levels. Additionally, the review of best practices and the history of acquisition reform reflects the ongoing desire to improve the acquisition process and the growing emphasis on a warfighting focus grounded in doctrine. The following Methodology section outlines how this study will move Space Force acquisition doctrine from a research concept to actionable recommendations. Methodology Research Strategy This research study leveraged a survey to obtain insights from a broad range of participants across the DoD acquisition community. The survey was created to rely heavily on narrative-style responses due to the desired free-flowing, critical thought required for each question. Understanding that survey fatigue was a concern, the survey advertisement was forthright in the time it would take to complete.
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Defense ARJ, Summer 2025, Vol. 32 No. 2: 132—193
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