Monday November 27, 2017
What is it?
Space is a vital enabler and component to the U.S. Army’s multi-domain battle capability. The Army uses space largely to enhance the effectiveness of the combat forces. The Army can communicate, navigate, target and find the enemy, anticipate weather and protect its forces based on combat and support assets available from space.
The U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command is the Army’s proponent for space, missile defense and high altitude capabilities.
What is the Army doing?
USASMDC/ARSTRAT Soldiers and Civilians operate systems that provide satellite communications, space situational awareness and missile warning and defense for the Army and DOD.
Space operations officers and the Army space cadre combined make an effective combat multiplier known as the Army space forces.
Army space forces plan, coordinate and analyze the space force enhancement areas – intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, missile warning, environmental monitoring, satellite communication, and position, navigation, and timing.
Army space forces define how space capabilities enable multi-domain maneuver and fires - synchronizing space capabilities to create and exploit windows of opportunity to defeat the enemy.
Army space support teams provide tailorable force enhancement support embedded in the division, corps and Army.
Joint Tactical Ground Stations (JTAGS) are forward-deployed, echelon-above-corps systems designed to receive, process and disseminate missile warning data – delivering 24/7 theater missile warning to deployed forces.
What continued efforts does the Army have planned for the future?
SMDC will continue to operate Army operational space capabilities across the globe through units that are regionally aligned to support most combatant commands. As a provider of space capabilities, SMDC provides 24/7/365 space capabilities for both the Army and the joint fight.
Space capabilities at the company and squad level will be expanded by developing small satellite systems to provide beyond line-of-site voice and data relay communications and direct downlink tactical satellite imagery capabilities on-demand to these units.
Why is this important to the Army?
The Army must strive to operate in a controlled space environment that ensures overmatch against near-peer threats.
The precise, lethal and discriminative application of the U.S. military forces can be done in the modern era because space capabilities mitigate the constraints of terrain, distance and time.
More than 70 percent of the Army’s key weapons and equipment rely on a space-based service or capability – modernizing existing systems and developing future systems enhances readiness and lethality of the Army forces.
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