Shallow Spacemen

The Air Force space operations career field builds officers with a broad knowledge of many space systems but without the depth of knowledge required to meet Air Force needs. The Air Force must build specialized career tracks within the space career field to provide the expertise required to fully maximize the effectiveness of space systems for national defense now and in the future. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld charged the Under Secretary of the Air Force for Space with "establishing and implementing policies and procedures to develop a cadre of technically competent officers with the capability to develop space doctrine, concepts of space operations, and space systems for the Department of the Air Force." ... this paper analyzes the history leading to the space commission findings, the Space Commission's recommended tasks implemented by the Department of Defense, and the Air Force response (as staffed by Air Force Space Command). It then compares the space career field with other operational Air Force career fields, recommends a more defined solution, and identifies obstacles to achieving the objectives of the Space Commission. The history of the space career field is plagued with change and fragmentation. The Space Commission challenged the Department of Defense to develop a strategy to create a professional space cadre.