Space Command Sustainment Review

The ability to access and continuously operate in space is vital to the economic, social, and military interests of the United States. In part because of sometimes-conflicting demands and in part because space systems are highly specialized, sustainment can be a challenge. To help Air Force Space Command meet this challenge, the authors used a strategies-to-tasks framework to examine AFSPC sustainment as a whole, working toward a commandwide philosophy for space system support. The core of the philosophy is separation of demand-side, supply-side, and integrator processes and clear definition of roles and responsibilities at all levels of the command. Its adoption can provide a basis for enhancing processes, force development, doctrine, information systems, and organization across the command that can be sustained over time and through many leadership changes. The authors illustrate the implementation and benefits using specific systems and units, some of which have already demonstrated elements of this philosophy.