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From Follett
Title from PDF document (title page; viewed May 7, 2024);"Prepared for the Department of the Air Force";"RAND PROJECT AIR FORCE";Includes bibliographical references (pages 36-48);Space Strategic Stability: Assessing U.S. Concepts and Approaches -- Stability in Space: Common Terms and Propositions -- Current Space Architectures Create an Incentive for Countries to Attack First in Space -- Leveraging Foreign and Commercial Partners Is Beneficial for Stability -- Active Communications Channels with Adversaries Can Reduce the Likelihood of a Crisis and Alleviate Pressure to Escalate If One Occurs -- Developing Shared Norms for Responsible Behavior in Space Can Promote Stability in the Near Term -- Selectively Revealing New Capabilities Can Enhance the Credibility of U.S. Threats and Deter Adversary Escalation -- Developing and Employing Reversible Options Can Be Useful to Manage Escalation Amid Crisis and Conflict -- Conclusions and Implications.;Also available on the internet via WWW in PDF format;Description from electronic resource Improvements in Russian and Chinese counterspace capabilities could endanger the space-based capabilities that the United States relies on for a broad array of military and economic functions. The proliferation of U.S. and adversary capabilities could lead to unstable competition in space, raising the risk of unintended military escalation. In this report, the authors examine the conventional wisdom on escalation in the space domain to offer recommendations for how the U.S. Space Force (USSF) and other stakeholders can better prepare to deter and manage escalation. They investigate the implications of six propositions related to stability: (1) the incentives to employ offensive capabilities early in a conflict, (2) the benefits of leveraging foreign and commercial systems, (3) the utility of communications channels for crisis prevention and de-escalation, (4) the feasibility of promoting shared norms of responsible behavior, (5) the strategic benefits of selective revelation, and (6) the use of reversible capabilities to manage escalation.
From the Publisher
Improvements in Russian and Chinese counterspace capabilities could endanger the space-based capabilities that the United States relies on for a broad array of military and economic functions. In this report, the authors examine the conventional wisdom on escalation in the space domain to offer recommendations for how the U.S. Space Force and other stakeholders can better prepare to deter and manage escalation.