The space superiority imperative to increase ground and network resilience

The past three decades have seen a marked increase in the capability, capacity and integration of American space capabilities to enhance and conduct combat operations. That same period has seen a corresponding growth in the threats against those space systems. Many have been focused on the increasingly capable spectrum of threats posed by China, including cyber, direct-ascent and co-orbital systems, or the spread of GPS and SATCOM jammers to countries around the world. However, a more rudimentary threat has also emerged: attacks against the ground stations that connect end users to space data and services. These ground systems are now in the crosshairs as a lucrative target for adversaries that do not possess the means or will to attack satellites.