To promote better appreciation among cadets of the role of space in the future of the Air Force, the attributes which space capabilities bring to national security operations must be understood. First, this means that USAFA should promote understanding of the role of information in military affairs, as well as the utility of space systems in gathering, transmitting, and disseminating information. Planning, acquiring, and operating systems to support these functions will be critical AF space responsibilities for the foreseeable future.

The second consideration regarding Air Force space operations is the importance of space systems not only to military operations but to national well-being overall. There needs to be a depth of appreciation for the degree towhich our nation's economy and basic systems (e.g. financial, educational, health care, entertainment, business, public safety, etc.) are reliant on space systems, and are becoming more so every day. This is a fact which is not well understood by most Americans. The implication is that protection of a relatively few space assets and the infrastructure which supports them has become a critical national security concern and an important military mission. This is the heart of the concept of "space control". Combined with the need to deny hostile use of space systems against our interests, space control is certain to become a more critical AF function.

This is the context which I believe should be the basis of a "space education".

Only with this understanding can the more traditional educational disciplines (engineering of space systems, space history, space law, space policy, etc.) be fully appreciated. I'm not clear of how these topics are currently treated at USAFA.

These latter factors will be especially important to the education of space operators (what I call "orbitors"). We must realize, though, that most USAFA graduates will not be directly involved in space operations (i.e. will not be orbitors; they may be aviators or go into other career fields.) All officers (not just orbitors) should understand the capabilities and limitations of space systems, and many of these limits are non-technical.

USAFA should also have a track for cadets interested in being orbitors. This track should include a more detailed appreciation of orbital mechanics, which is as important to orbitors as an understanding of winds and currents has been to sailors. Other key topics include electromagnetic communications theory, space transportation design parameters, space environment, survivability/vulnerability considerations, and an introduction to the US space industrial base. USAFA should also offer hands-on satellite operations experience, focused on the nearby AFSPC operational sites. Are these topics now sufficiently addressed? Or are they left to later training opportunities?

It is interesting to note that none of these considerations involve what many seem to consider the heart of future military space activities: manned operations or space weapons. I consider the importance of these aspects of military space to be far less significant than those mentioned above, and theirfuture importance is speculative at best. Despite the billions of dollars spent on manned operations, no real military utility has been identified. Similarly, all the billions spent by SDI couldn't establish the advisability of space-based weapons; I'm sure concepts will continue to be evaluated on their merits.

I hope these observations and opinions can be the basis for future discussion among knowledgeable professionals.