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Mastering the Ultimate High Ground

Next Steps in the Military Uses of Space

Cover: Mastering the Ultimate High Ground

By: Benjamin S. Lambeth

The author assesses the military space challenges that face the Air Force and the nation in light of the findings and recommendations of the congressionally mandated Space Commission, released in January 2001. After reviewing the main milestones in the Air Force's involvement in space since its creation as an independent service in 1947, he examines the circumstances that occasioned the Space Commission's creation, as well as the conceptual and organizational roadblocks that have impeded a more rapid growth of U.S. military space capability. He concludes that the Air Force faces five basic challenges with respect to space: continuing the operational integration of space with the three terrestrial warfighting mediums while ensuring the organizational differentiation of space from Air Force air; effectively wielding its newly granted military space executive-agent status; realizing a transparent DoD-wide budget category for space; showing progress toward fielding a meaningful space control capability while decoupling that progress from any perceived taint of force-application involvement; and making further progress toward developing and nurturing a cadre of skilled space professionals within the Air Force.

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Paperback Cover Price: $24.00

Discounted Web Price: $21.60

Pages: 178

ISBN/EAN: 0-8330-3330-1

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Contents

Summary PDF

All Prefatory Materials PDF

Chapter One:
Introduction PDF

Chapter Two:
The Air Force's Struggle for Space PDF

Chapter Three:
Air and Space Versus "Aerospace" PDF

Chapter Four:
The Space Commission and Its Impact PDF

Chapter Five:
On Space Control and Space Force Application PDF

Chapter Six:
The Road Ahead PDF

Appendix PDF

Supplementary Materials PDF

The research reported here was sponsored by the United States Air Force.

The monograph/report was a product of the RAND Corporation from 1993 to 2003. RAND monograph/reports presented major research findings that addressed the challenges facing the public and private sectors. They included executive summaries, technical documentation, and synthesis pieces.

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