The Army’s contribution to joint space operations

Recent analysis by Reeves in the Mitchell Institute’s “Charting a Path to Space Superiority: The Cross-Domain Imperative” identifies the need for centralized command and control (C2) of counterspace capabilities under U.S. Space Command to ensure unity of effort. However, Reeves’s critique of the United States Army’s development of counterspace capabilities fundamentally misunderstands the Army’s role within the joint force structure. The paper mischaracterizes the Army’s efforts as building a mini-space force and perpetuates the false narrative that the Army independently commands and controls its counterspace systems. In reality, the Army operates precisely within the joint C2 framework that Reeves advocates for, presenting forces to combatant commands that derive their authorities directly from the President through the Unified Command Plan.