Space forum identifies rising space professionals

  • Published
  • By Julie Imada
  • U.S. Air Force Academy Research Publicist
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  On a recent September afternoon in the ballroom of the Mayflower Hotel in downtown Washington D.C., rising space professionals, senior policy mentors from government and industry, and space policy academics; debated and dissected current American space policies ranging from the long-term policy impacts of China's anti-satellite efforts to the use of space technologies in the ongoing military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

The event, called the Project on Strategic Space Issues, or POSSI, was organized by the U.S. Air Force Academy's Eisenhower Center for Space and Defense Policies. While some of the ideas reflected the idealism young professionals are known for, some showed wisdom beyond their age and experience and spotlighted innovative new ways of approaching how the United States and military leadership addresses the impact of space on the nation. 

What made this afternoon of debate on space policy different from an episode of C-SPAN was the presence and direct participation of Gen. C. Robert Kehler, commander of Air Force Space Command. 

2009 SPACE FORUM 

The 2009 National Space Forum and the POSSI are organized by the Eisenhower Center for Space and Defense Policies annually. Under Chatham House rules of non-attribution, the forum has earned respect from space professionals around the globe as a safe, unofficial, academic arena for space professionals and policy makers to openly debate the various ideas and challenges faced by today's space industry and the U.S. government. 

Throughout the three-day event, more than 180 commercial space professionals, former Eisenhower Summer Space Seminar alumni, six Air Force Academy cadets and military and government space policy makers addressed the multifaceted world of U.S. space policy issues. Topics included how to best identify and act on threat assessments, space deterrence and national policy, space arms control, military and civil space cooperation, and China's role in space and its potential impact on U.S. national space security. 

Many older participants in the forum highlighted the need to have younger professionals entering the fray. The theme of having young professionals introduce their elder counterparts to new ideas and take on greater leadership roles in space policy-making was echoed through the discussions and panels. 

The more volatile panels addressing issues of space deterrence policies, export-control regulations such as the International Trafficking in Arms Regulations and the impact of those regulations on the U.S. space industry and capabilities and China's role in space generated the most discussion and debate among participants. 

Discussion highlighted the frustration with ITAR regulations that have been perceived as strangling U.S. space research and development as well as giving Russian and Chinese space programs carte blanche to successfully compete against the U.S. in the commercial space industry. 

Concerns about increasing dependence on space assets for communications, navigation systems, and space situational awareness were also voiced. Participants debated how to best address space threat analysis and the changing role of deterrence as applied to those space assets. 

"We have never really faced a real space threat," said one panelist. The lack of a real threat to those assets in space and the vague concepts of "contested" space versus space control versus space dominance were highlighted as contributing to America's space vulnerability gap with China growing. The defense of space assets in space and exactly how that can be accomplished in an affordable and relatively fast timetable, if there is credibility of retaliation for potential attacks on U.S. space assets, and the lack of real-time spacebased situational awareness were also identified as immediate problems facing U.S. space policy makers. 

Several speakers and conference attendees noted the short- and long-term consequences of adversarial action against a nation's space assets are an unknown factor that cannot truly be understood until a real-time threat occurs. 

The keynote speaker of the event, Air Commodore Tim Owen of the Royal Australian Air Force, agreed to speak on the record after his address. He said the forum is the only non-threatening, unclassified avenue available for many of the participants to voice their thoughts and concerns about key American and international space issues and policies.

"Remember the effects in space directly reflect on our ability to serve and support our Soldiers and Airmen ... that is the goal of all nations," Commodore Owen said. 

GENERAL KEHLER AND THE POSSI 

The American space industry has come a long way since man's first steps on the moon. It was noted by several of the POSSI's attendees that the value of both the space forum and the POSSI was the opportunity to mentor young, rising space professionals and policy makers. Some forum attendees and panelists watched the first moon landing and many noted that with the rapid changes happening in space technology and international space policy, young professionals have fresh perspectives and valuable experiences to bring to the table. 

More than 60 of these young professionals -- many of whom had previously participated in the Eisenhower's Summer Space Seminar -- said they also had much to learn from their mentors. Participants noted that the combined experiences of leaders like General Kehler, Eisenhower Center director Ambassador Roger Harrison and policymakers such as former Colorado Sen. Wayne Allard and Australian space policy advisor Brett Biddington would help them to understand the evolution of space policies and technologies and to see more clearly where the industry is going in the future. 

"Space is a huge factor in gathering intelligence ... knowing the space capabilities of others and of ourselves will help us in our future career paths," said Cadet 1st Class John Dombroski, a political science major at the Academy.

A nearly unheard-of opportunity, participants in the POSSI spent more than eight hours discussing and problem solving hypothetical space policy and defense scenarios with their mentors and with Space Command's General Kehler. Participants proposed solutions to General Kehler, who dissected their proposals and gave them feedback on their ideas and on some of the real-world challenges they would face in the space defense and policy arenas. 

Mentors and participants alike came away from the discussions with a renewed sense of focus on what is and is not working in today's space arena as well as with new ideas about potential solutions to America's and the international community's critical space needs. They all recognized the rarity of sitting side by side with one of America's space commanders to examine and debate not just today's next step but the technological and policy steps needed for the next 20 years.