Joint Publication JP 3-14 Space Operations 10 April 2018

This manual, Joint Publication JP 3-14 Space Operations 10 April 2018, describes joint space operations and threats in the space domain, details associated space capabilities, aligns space capabilities with the seven joint functions, describes the space joint operating area, discusses command and control of joint space operations, and provides planning and assessment considerations for Space Operations and the Space Domain. Over the past half century, continuous improvements in technology, technology transfers, and globalization of services have led to the development and proliferation of advanced space systems across the commercial, civil, and military sectors. Operations in the space domain are increasingly contested, degraded, and operationally limited. “The United States considers unfettered access to and freedom to operate in space to be a vital interest. Any harmful interference with or an attack upon critical components of our space architecture that directly affects this vital US interest will be met with a deliberate response at a time, place, manner, and domain of our choosing.” Sustained space access is vital to the collective security of the US and its allies. The National Security Strategy recognizes that “collective action is needed to assure access to the shared spaces [such as] space—where the dangerous behaviors of some threaten us all.” The space domain is the area above the altitude where atmospheric effects on airborne objects become negligible. Like the air, land, and maritime domains, space is a physical domain within which military, civil, and commercial activities are conducted. The relationship between space and cyberspace is unique in that many space operations depend on cyberspace, and a critical portion of cyberspace can only be provided via space operations.