Will strong actions follow words in Biden’s space policy?
The new Space Priorities Framework put forward by the Biden administration makes promises on global leadership, space traffic coordination, and deterrence.
By Hannah Dennis and Kaitlyn Johnson on December 14, 2021 at 11:16 AM
Space Shuttle Atlantis
With Russia blowing up a satellite, China testing mysterious new orbital hypersonic missiles and the general tragedy that is the space junk problem, the state of space has never been more chaotic, or more relevant to policymakers. In this op-ed, Hannah Dennis and Kaitlyn Johnson of CNAS and CSIS, respectively, argue that President Joe Biden’s recent space policy framework builds on solid ideas — but, they ask, will that be all it is?
The bipartisan nature of space policy has allowed collaboration across the federal government and a continuity between administrations that is rare in the national security world. The new Space Priorities Framework [PDF] released earlier this month by the Biden White House follows in that tradition, reaffirming space priorities that will allow the US government to catch up with the American commercial space sector and protect national interests in an increasingly contested domain.
From that standpoint, the framework scores full marks for continuity in strategic priorities and some improved messaging, but these priorities must be followed by actions and investments. So what do the Biden administration and Congress need to do to walk the space walk?
From setting a strong anti-satellite weapons test policy to engaging in space traffic management, the United States needs to make several key decisions and investments in the coming months to begin following through on these commitments.
https://breakingdefense.com/2021/12/will-strong-actions-follow-words-in-bidens-space-policy/
