Planning a War in Space

Air Force Space Command Schriever Wargame Concludes

by Staff Writers
Peterson AFB CO (AFNS) Feb 20, 2015

Air Force Space Command's Schriever Wargame recently concluded at Schriever AFB, Colorado. Set in the year 2026, this wargame, named in honor of retired Gen. Bernard A. Schriever, explored critical space and cyberspace issues in depth and investigated the military utility of emerging space systems and cyberspace capabilities.

The objectives of the wargame included: 1) Explore and assess the resilience of a future architecture in a contested, degraded, and operationally limited environment, 2) Identify processes; concepts of operations (CONOPS); and opportunities for tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) development within a future architecture to improve defense and mutual support of all elements of National Security Space, and 3) Examine how future anti-access and area denial (A2/AD) force structures will affect requirements for Air Force space operations and services.

Although the details of the scenario remain classified, the game stressed space and cyberspace planning and deterrence in the context of a future regional conflict. This wargame built on the challenges associated with U.S. and allied space systems featured during previous wargame iterations.

In addition, this year's game highlighted the resilience of a future space architecture that incorporated characteristics of increased flexibility, maneuverability, and situational awareness, as well as the crucial role that U.S. allies and the commercial sector play in space and cyberspace capabilities.

"As a wargame, Schriever 2014 looked at future battle management and command and control systems to provide the commander of U.S. space forces with a warfighting capability," said Lt. Gen. Jay Raymond, the Commander of Joint Functional Component Command for Space and 14th Air Force. "Key take-aways from the game include the importance of multi-domain awareness and integration, the warfighting value of our allies, and the operational contributions of commercial space."

The wargame highlighted the possibility to increase resilience through changes in space architectures, innovative tactics, effective command and control, and shared responsibilities across commercial and allied partners.

As the wargame unfolded, a regional crisis quickly escalated, partly because of the interconnectedness of a multi-domain fight involving a capable adversary. The wargame participants emphasized the challenges in containing horizontal escalation once space control capabilities are employed to achieve limited national objectives.

Approximately 175 military and civilian experts from government agencies around the U.S, as well as Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom participated in the wargame.

Agencies included: Office of the Secretary of Defense, Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, U.S. Pacific Command, U.S. Strategic Command, Headquarters Air Force, Air Force Space Command, Pacific Air Forces, Air Combat Command, Army Space and Missile Defense Command, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Naval Research Laboratory, Naval War College, the National Reconnaissance Office, NASA, and the intelligence community. Various commercial entities including Intelsat, Inmarsat, DigitalGlobe, Astrium and SSL Federal participated as well to facilitate the wargame.