HOT TOPIC: PENTAGON SPACE POLICY
 In an exclusive interview with SpaceNews, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy Stephen Kitay talked about the challenges ahead for DoD as competition ratchets up for space dominance and adversaries poise to challenge the United States.
"The threats are moving fast and we need to stay ahead of it," Kitay said. There is a growing recognition of the interdependence of space, national security and the global economy. "Our nation's leadership understands the importance of it. And you see that both in the executive branch and the legislative branch."
How will the Pentagon respond as its dominance of space is challenged by other nations? Kitay said DoD has to start rethinking strategies and investment priorities. It's not just about buying the latest and greatest technology but also about making sure U.S. systems can be defended from attacks.
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| | NEW STUDY: 'Major Policy Issues in Evolving
Global Space Operations'
 The Aerospace Corporation's Center for Space Policy and Strategy released a new study Tuesday by Aerospace Corp. analyst James A. Vedda and Peter L. Hays, of the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University. The study summarizes the consensus of 30 of the nation's top space experts. It looks at the current state of space activity, along with major challenges and opportunities.
Vedda spoke with SpaceNews at the study rollout event on Capitol Hill. "We're hoping that a study like this will give the Trump administration appreciation for what the experts have to offer," he said. The administration has a window opportunity to make critical policy decisions during this "great transition period for national security, civil and commercial space," Vedda noted. "There is a proliferation of capability and move to new applications. That's going to put a lot of new stuff on their plate in the next few years."
The message to government leaders: "We wanted to not just tee up the issues but say, 'Here's what key thinkers are feeling about these issues and please take this to heart." | | SPACE MODERNIZATION
HYTEN WARNS ABOUT U.S. COMPLACENCY IN SPACE  The United States can win in space today but "it's not prepared to fight in the future," said Air Force Gen. John Hyten, commander of U.S. Strategic Command.
"I'm worried about the future. Somehow this country lost the ability to go fast. I don't know how that happened," he said at the Reagan National Defense Forum. "We take four years to study a problem before we do anything. We do four years of risk reduction on technologies we built 50 years ago."
U.S. satellites eventually will be targets of enemy jammers and laser weapons now being developed by Russia and China, he said. "They are building this to change the balance of power in the world. We can't allow that to happen." Many in the Pentagon still don't get it. The next-generation missile-warning system is projected to take 12 years. "That is ridiculous,' Hyten lamented. "We don't have that much time anymore. We have to change the way we do business. If we don't do something differently, our advantage in five years may be gone. Ten years from now we could be behind. That is unacceptable." | | SPACE IMAGING
ANALYSTS SHED LIGHT ON ROLE OF COMMERCIAL IMAGERY IN WARFARE
 A recent Pentagon wargame highlighted the increasing sophistication and availability of satellite imagery as a trend that is playing in favor of U.S. adversaries. Both Russia and China have high-frequency radars that can see well over the horizon. With the newer constellations of electro-optical satellites, they get unprecedented visibility. "They can tap into commercial satellite networks, which are growing pretty dramatically, for visual and infrared indication," said Bryan Clark, of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. CSBA cited one prominent company, BlackSky, that is developing a constellation over the next decade that will provide two-to-three images per hour of the most populated latitudes. Other companies and rival militaries are pursuing similar constellations. The bottom line for U.S. forces is that they will not be able to avoid detection by this combination of RF, visual, and IR search sensors. What they can do, Clark suggested, is "make U.S. operations difficult to attribute or, more likely, slow an enemy's ability to identify and classify potential U.S. targets." | | CAPITOL HILL
LAWMAKERS TO CONTINUE TO PUSH FOR A DOD SPACE CORPS | | | | |
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It was not meant to happen in 2018. But it will happen, perhaps in a few years.
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