Space Isn’t the Final Frontier—It’s the Front Line
Henry Heren, a senior instructor on the Mission Operations Directorate Enterprise Training (MODET) team at Systems Planning & Analysis, recently authored “Space Isn’t a Sanctuary—It’s a Battlefield. Time to Act Like It.” His article appears in Spacepower Magazine, a publication by the Space Force Association, an independent nonprofit dedicated to advocating for and supporting the U.S. Space Force.
In the piece, Heren argues the U.S. must abandon outdated assumptions about space as a peaceful frontier and recognize it as a contested warfighting domain. He highlights how adversaries such as China and Russia already engage in jamming, spoofing, cyberattacks, and satellite shadowing—treating space as a low-risk, high-reward arena of competition. The U.S. response, he contends, has been too passive, often limited to diplomatic statements rather than credible deterrence.
Heren calls for updated doctrine, real-time rules of engagement, and integrated planning across Geographic Combatant Commands to normalize space defense. He emphasizes that satellites should be treated as combat assets—foundational to targeting, intelligence, and communications—and defended accordingly. Beyond policy shifts, he advocates for multinational frameworks with enforceable commitments, rapid response capabilities, and training exercises that prepare forces to respond decisively to space-based threats.
His conclusion is blunt: the next conflict may start in orbit, and unless the U.S. acts now, it risks ceding critical advantage in every other domain.
Continue reading “Space Isn’t a Sanctuary—It’s a Battlefield. Time to Act Like It.”
Subscribe to our newsletter
We respect your privacy.
[ Related Articles ]
