Whither Space Power? Forging a Strategy for the New Century: Future Space Warfare Scenarios and Options for Space Security

From the Foreword: From the dawn of military history, military strategists have wrestled with an enduring challenge—the challenge to define and prepare effectively for the next war. History is littered with the tragic tales of those armies and nations that failed to meet this challenge and paid the price—on the battlefield, on the seas, or in the skies. One war-fighting medium remains to be exploited, and the challenge facing our nation's military strategists today is the same one that has come down through the ages—to define and prepare for the next inevitable battle—this time, a battle in and for space.

In this book, General Worden and Major Shaw present the building blocks for an all-encompassing strategy and doctrine for space power in the twenty-first century. Their compelling interpretation of the influence of space power over the past 60 years (chap. 1) is mirrored by a captivating vision of the role space power will play in the next 60 (chap. 2). The pictures they paint of potential asymmetric warfare no longer seem as distant as they did prior to 11 September 2001. As we have already tragically witnessed, the adversaries of tomorrow will not necessarily confront us directly, but will certainly challenge our centers of power—and more and more of those centers lie in space.

The succeeding chapters complete the prescription for space power strategy, defining space as the place where the future infrastructure of civilization will reside, and making the case for an aggressive national security policy in space. The authors' final admonition should not go unheeded: We procrastinate on a strategy for space power at our own risk. If we do not seize the opportunity to control the ultimate high ground, someone else will, and we will then forfeit our role of global leadership in space.

Contents: Chapter 1 - What Has Gone Before * Chapter 2 - Scenarios for the Twenty-First Century * Chapter 3 - Mathematical and Physical Realities * Chapter 4 - Options for the New Century * Chapter 5 - Threats, Limitations, Constraints * Chapter 6 - The Boundless Future