14 September 2024

Winning the Competition for Space Leadership

Marc Berkowitz

The United States is the world’s leader in the exploration and use of outer space. America became the preeminent spacefaring nation by winning the first space race with the Soviet Union. That contest was driven by the U.S.-Soviet geopolitical rivalry and run for the competitive advantages enabled by rocket and satellite technology. America’s prowess in space operations contributes to all elements (diplomatic, informational, military, and economic) of our national power. Space power is the total strength of a nation’s capabilities to conduct and influence activities to, in, through, and from space to achieve its objectives.

America has leveraged its dominant position in space for political prestige, international influence, scientific knowledge, technological advancement, and economic prosperity, as well as U.S. and international security. Space capabilities are woven into the socioeconomic fabric of the nation, embedded in critical infrastructures, enable national essential functions, and contribute to America’s way of life. Successive administrations of both political parties thus have declared for decades that access to and use of space are vital national interests of overriding importance to the nation’s safety, integrity, and survival.


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