This document has been prepared to aid Professional Military Education (PME) and training program curriculum developers in integrating a continuum of space learning objectives into new and existing courses. These learning objectives are intended to provide a clear linkage between AF roles and missions and space mission areas. In making this linkage, Air Force members will be made fully aware of the interdependencies that exist between space capabilities, combat air force capabilities and the application of these capabilities within the context of current warfighting doctrine. In short, the AFSERL establishes the basic HQ AFSPC validated requirements for an integrated aerospace education.

AF personnel designing AF training and education programs should reference the AFSERL as a starting point for updating curricula, designing new curricula or for making decisions on resource allocations related to integrated Aerospace programs. For curriculum development, the broad learning objectives defined in the AFSERL may require further breakdown into measurable supporting objectives. Although the AFSERL is designed for use in all Air Force training and education programs, it is only a tool. It is not meant to be directive in nature.

AFDD 2-4.3 Education and Training, and AFMAN36-2234 Instructional Systems Development (ISD), outline principles and processes for developing education and training programs. The AFSERL has been designed to aid curriculum developers in each phase of the ISD Model. Of the five phases of ISD, the AFSERL will be most useful during the analysis, design and evaluation phases. Curriculum developers should determine specific criterion-based objectives for student performance based on the needs of the particular education and training program. The AFSERL aids developers by providing objectives that systematically link AF roles and missions with space mission areas to demonstrate the application of space as an integral part of military operations.

The AFSERL is broken into seven Learning Areas. Each Learning Area corresponds to a major task identified in AFDD 1-1. Objectives are also organized at the strategic, operational and tactical levels of warfare, providing insight into the relative merit of a learning objective for a particular target audience. For example, junior officer and enlisted accession programs would be expected to focus more heavily on tactical-level objectives, while senior service schools would concentrate on strategic-level objectives. This by no means implies that schools and curriculum developers cannot choose from any AFSERL objective that is appropriate for a particular training program.

1. LEARNING AREA 1 (corresponds to Air Force Task (AFT) 1): Comprehend the employment of space systems in achieving Aerospace Superiority.

1. Evaluate/analyze threats to friendly air and space forces posed by adversarial and commercial space systems.
2. Analyze the capabilities and limitations of using or attacking space systems to achieve space superiority given current space law, doctrine, policies, and treaties.

OPERATIONAL:

3. Comprehend how space-derived information and processes (to include command and control systems, intelligence, navigation, geo-location, and weather) enable friendly forces to attack enemy air and missile power close to its source (Offensive Counter Air).
4. Comprehend how space-derived information and processes (to include command and control systems, intelligence, navigation, geo-location, communication, missile warning, and weather) enable friendly forces to detect, identify, intercept, and destroy enemy air and missile forces attempting to attack or penetrate the friendly air environment (Defensive Counter Air).
5. Comprehend the vulnerabilities of space system segments in order to disrupt, deny, degrade, or destroy their use.
6. Comprehend foreign national military dependencies on space-based information in order to plan counterspace operations.
7. Comprehend how space-derived information and processes (to include command and control systems, intelligence, navigation, geo-location, communication, and weather) enable military forces to attack enemy ground stations and space assets (Offensive Counter Space).
8. Comprehend how space-derived information and processes (to include command and control systems, intelligence, navigation, geo-location, communication, and weather) enable military forces to detect, identify, intercept, and destroy enemy ground stations and space assets (Defensive Counter Space).

TACTICAL:

9. Know the space systems that enhance detection, tracking, interception, and destruction of enemy targets.
10. Know the capabilities and limitations of the various command and control, intelligence, navigation, geo-location, communication, missile warning, and weather systems.
11. Know how space-derived information and processes (to include command and control systems, intelligence, navigation, geo-location, communication, and weather) enable military forces to conduct offensive counterair operations.
12. Know how space-derived information and processes (to include command and control systems, intelligence, navigation, geo-location, communication, missile warning, and weather) enable military forces to conduct defensive counterair operations.

2. LEARNING AREA 2 (corresponds to AFT 2): Comprehend the space systems and products necessary to achieve discriminate strategic, operational, and tactical effects under Precision Engagement.

STRATEGIC:

1. Analyze the implications on both military operations and civilian sectors of an NCA decision to eliminate or impose selective availability on GPS.

3. Comprehend how space systems (to include communication, command and control, intelligence, navigation, geo-location, missile warning, and weather) support lethal Precision Engagement.
4. Comprehend how space systems (to include communication, command and control, intelligence, navigation, geo-location, and weather) support non-lethal Precision Engagement.
5. Comprehend how space systems (to include communication, command and control, intelligence, navigation, geo-location, missile warning, and weather) contribute to BDA, target identification, weapon selection, and CSAR.
6. Comprehend how space systems contribute toward Dominant Battlespace Knowledge.

TACTICAL:

7. Know how space systems enable us to minimize collateral damage.
8. Know the means employed by enemy forces to spoof or jam GPS reception.
9. Know the most effective tactics, techniques, and procedures for countering spoofing and jamming of GPS.
10. Know the US space systems that provide or augment Precision Engagement capabilities.
11. Know the US weapon systems that depend on space for Precision Engagement.

2. LEARNING AREA 3 (corresponds to AFT 3): Comprehend the employment of space systems in achieving Information Superiority.

1. Analyze the impact of national policy on achieving Information Superiority through space-based assets and denial of an adversary’s use of space systems.
2. Analyze how tasking process of national system capabilities affects information resource prioritization.

 

OPERATIONAL:

3. Comprehend how space assets enhance IPB, mission analysis, and campaign planning.
4. Comprehend how national systems (IMINT, SIGINT, MASINT) contribute to deliberate or crisis action planning.
5. Comprehend how space systems (to include communication, Multi-Spectral Imagery (MSI), command and control, and intelligence) contribute to Information Operations (to include information warfare, counter-information, PSYOPs, Electronic Warfare, and deception).

TACTICAL:

6. Know how space systems (to include communication, command and control, and intelligence) contribute to information operations.
7. Know the tasking, processing, evaluation, and dissemination process for information operations.
8. Know how the basic capabilities and limitations affect survivability of satellite communications systems.
9. Know how tactical broadcast systems contribute to military operations.

3. LEARNING AREA 4 (corresponds to AFT 4): Comprehend the functions of air, space, and strategic missile forces in projecting power over global distances.

STRATEGIC:

1. Analyze policy decisions, doctrine, and international laws/conventions as they apply to the development and deployment of space-based weapons.
2. Analyze how the role of ICBM forces supports national security strategy of deterrence.
3. Analyze imposed [political] constraints of air, space, or strategic missile assets in force projection with regard to overflight, weapons in space, and WMD.

OPERATIONAL:

4. Comprehend the operational advantages gained from unimpeded global access (such as overflight, dwell time, and omnipresence) of space-based systems.
5. Comprehend the space systems required for a force to be responsive in attacking any point on the globe.
6. Comprehend how space systems (to include communication, command and control, intelligence, geo-location, and weather) support Special Operations Forces (SOF).

3. Analyze space-derived intelligence capabilities to detect emerging world hot spots and therefore prepare troops for deployment.

6. Know how space-derived products (such as Combat Track and MSTS) contribute to rapid global mobility.

5. LEARNING AREA 6 (corresponds to AFT 6): Comprehend how space systems are employed to achieve Agile Combat Support.

5. Comprehend how space law and national space policy affect military operations.

TACTICAL:

6. Know how space communications systems are used by base supply management.
7. Know the linkage between space mission areas and AF core competencies.
8. Know how satellite operations functions provide critical support to the maintenance of space based assets providing force enhancement to warfighter.
9. Know the advantages and disadvantages of satellite orbits.
10. Know how space doctrine supports warfighting concepts.

6. LEARNING AREA 7 (corresponds to AFT 7): Comprehend the employment of space systems to monitor, assess, plan, and execute military operations.

1. Analyze the process that is used to allocate national, DoD, civil, and commercial space systems in support of military operations.
2. Apply an understanding of US national, DoD, civil, and commercial space capabilities, limitations, and threats in support of national security objectives.
3. Analyze the relationship between space doctrine/national policy, treaties, and agreements and their effect on ROE.

OPERATIONAL:

4. Comprehend general space system deployment needs (JTAGS, DSCS Terminals) and the effect these have on theater operations.

6. Comprehend the commercial and multinational space systems available to the US forces to enhance command and control.
7. Comprehend how having an understanding of your adversary’s Space Order of Battle improves your planning and execution of military operations.
8. Comprehend the command and control architecture of space forces to include DIRLAUTH, OPCON, COCOM, and Space Tasking Order (STO)/Integrated Tasking Order (ITO).
9. Comprehend the vulnerabilities resulting from military dependence on space-based information.
10. Comprehend the capabilities and limitations of space forces (IMINT, SIGINT, and MASINT) to receive, maintain, integrate, and display data from all sources.
11. Comprehend the role of the collection manager at an AOC.
12. Comprehend the capabilities of commercial space systems (e.g., imagery, communications) to augment or replace military space system shortfalls.

TACTICAL:

13. Know how the US Space Order of Battle enhances joint forces ability to monitor, assess, plan and execute military operations.
14. Know space system deployment needs (JTAGS, DSCS Terminals) and the effect on unit operations when equipment is not deployed or fully capable.
15. Know how the STO executes space forces in support of theater operations.
16. Know how the space and terrestrial environments impact space systems availability.
17. Know the role of the collection manager at an AOC.
18. Know the mission of the Space Operations Center (SOC).