A Framework for Building a Civil Reserve Space Program

Applicability of U.S. Transportation Command’s Commercial Partnership Models

Yool Kim, George Nacouzi

Expert InsightsPublished Nov 29, 2023

The concept of a civil reserve space program, a partnership arrangement that would be akin to the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) and Voluntary Intermodal Sealift Agreement (VISA) programs, has recently gained attention as one avenue to build a closer partnership between the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and the commercial space industry and to gain assured access to commercial space services to augment DoD's space capabilities in times of national emergency or wartime operations.

In this Perspective, the authors examine key elements of the CRAF and VISA programs to inform factors that DoD should consider for a civil reserve space program to balance benefits and risks to both the U.S. Space Force and the commercial sector. Key considerations include the mix of DoD and commercial space capabilities, incentives and acceptable risks for participants of a civil reserve space program, activation terms, and operations in a threat environment.

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Kim, Yool and George Nacouzi, A Framework for Building a Civil Reserve Space Program: Applicability of U.S. Transportation Command’s Commercial Partnership Models, RAND Corporation, PE-A980-1, November 2023. As of October 8, 2024: https://www.rand.org/pubs/perspectives/PEA980-1.html
Chicago Manual of Style
Kim, Yool and George Nacouzi, A Framework for Building a Civil Reserve Space Program: Applicability of U.S. Transportation Command’s Commercial Partnership Models. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2023. https://www.rand.org/pubs/perspectives/PEA980-1.html.
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This work was commissioned by the U.S. Space Force (USSF) Space Operations Command and conducted within the Force Modernization and Employment Program of RAND Project AIR FORCE.

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