The Missing Layer in America’s Military Space Strategy

Submitted By: Col Wes Norris, USAF (Ret.)

Introduction: The Unseen Pillar of Military Might

Logistics has long been the decisive, yet often underappreciated, variable in the calculus of military power. History is replete with examples where the ability to sustain forces, rather than the brilliance of a single battlefield maneuver, determined the outcome of a conflict. From the Roman legions’ reliance on their extensive road networks to the Allied victory in World War II — which was as much a triumph of industrial production and supply chain management as it was of combat prowess —logistics has always formed the bedrock of enduring military strength. For decades, the USAF has exemplified this principle, demonstrating that global reach and power are only achievable when built upon a disciplined and resilient sustainment architecture. Airpower achieves control of the skies, but it is logistics that ensures it can be maintained.

This fundamental truth is now extending into the space domain. However, the US, as the world’s preeminent logistical power on Earth, has been slow to apply this lesson to its final frontier. As space evolves from a peaceful sanctuary to a contested warfighting domain, the nation that first develops and fields a mature orbital logistics infrastructure will define the tempo, resilience, and deterrence norms of future space operations. Building this in-space logistics backbone is not merely an option; it is a strategic imperative. It will grant America the confidence to maneuver, deter, and defend its interests in orbit. Failure to do so will result in ceding the initiative to adversaries who have already grasped the profound historical lesson that operations succeed only when logistics do.

A 401st Tactical Fighter Wing F-16C Fighting Falcon aircraft refuels from a KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft as another F-16 stands by during Operation Desert Storm.

A Lesson from the Skies: The Airpower Logistics Model

The history of airpower provides a powerful and relevant analogy for the current strategic inflection point in space. My experience as an aircraft maintenance and logistics officer offered a consistent lesson across a diverse range of platforms, from the MQ-1/9 and F-16 to the B-1, A-10, AC-130, CV-22, and MC-130 — operations succeed only when logistics are sound.

The success of Operation Desert Storm, for example, was critically dependent on a logistics enterprise functioning at an immense scale. Transcontinental tanker bridges, robust depot pipelines, and high aircraft availability rates were the tangible results of a mature sustainment architecture. Conversely, the initial phases of Operation Enduring Freedom highlighted the fragility of operations when sustainment capacity is stretched thin across dispersed bases with overtaxed supply chains. The lesson was clear: readiness is a direct function of logistics.

AMC Desert Shield/Desert Storm Graphic for 25th Anniversary. (U.S. Air Force Graphic/ Master Sgt. Franz Chenet)

For nearly a century, airpower evolved from a collection of single-use, expendable assets into a sustainable and regenerating force. This transformation was enabled by the development of a comprehensive logistics ecosystem, including aerial refueling, forward-deployed maintenance depots, and a global supply chain. This ecosystem allows air assets to be repaired, refueled, and returned to the fight, providing the persistence and resilience necessary for domain superiority. The United States Space Force (USSF) now faces a similar evolutionary imperative. It must transition from its current paradigm of expendable, single-use satellites to a sustainable and serviceable space infrastructure, mirroring the transformation that airpower underwent. The USSF must now replicate what the USAF achieved with aerial refueling, depot maintenance, and integrated logistics command: the creation of a dedicated system to sustain and regenerate combat power within its designated domain.

The New High Ground’s Achilles’ Heel: America’s Space Vulnerability

The current paradigm of designing, building, and launching satellites as single-use, non-serviceable assets is a significant strategic liability. For decades, once a satellite was launched, it remained unchanged until the end of its life. There was no way to refuel it to extend its life, repair a malfunctioning component, or physically upgrade its systems. This “one-and-done” model creates a brittle and predictable space architecture. It limits the operational lifespan and capabilities of a satellite to the amount of fuel it can carry and its initial technological configuration. This predictability is a vulnerability that adversaries can exploit.

This model is fundamentally at odds with the core tenets of Competitive Endurance, a key strategic concept for the USSF. Competitive Endurance requires the ability to deliver persistent domain awareness, deploy resilient and responsive architectures, and hold adversary space assets at risk.[i] To achieve this, US space assets must be dynamic and maneuverable. They need to be able to reposition to respond to threats, fill gaps in constellation coverage, and persist in their orbits for extended periods. All these actions require significant propellant expenditure. Without the ability to refuel in space, every maneuver shortens a satellite’s life, forcing a trade-off between present-day tactical advantage and long-term strategic endurance. Furthermore, a lack of in-space logistics creates a critical vulnerability for emerging national security space programs that require substantial propellant reserves, rapid repositioning, and routine maintenance. Without a robust logistics capability, these vital systems cannot deliver the persistent presence, resilience, and credible deterrence that the nation requires.

Examples of opportunities for logistics capabilities to augment the resilience of the Golden Dome for America.

In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing (ISAM): A Classification of Capabilities

To address these vulnerabilities, the US must invest in a comprehensive suite of In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing (ISAM) capabilities. ISAM is a broad term encompassing a range of technologies and techniques that will transform space operations. These capabilities can be categorized as follows:

• In-Space Servicing and Refueling: This is perhaps the most fundamental ISAM capability. It involves a servicing vehicle rendezvousing with and docking to a client satellite to transfer fuel. This capability would effectively eliminate the limitations of a satellite’s fuel supply, enabling sustained maneuverability and dramatically extending operational lifetimes. It is the space-based equivalent of aerial refueling for aircraft.
• Life Extension Services: This can involve taking over a satellite’s station-keeping and attitude control functions, allowing the client satellite to conserve its own fuel for more critical tasks or continue its mission even after its own propulsion system has degraded or failed.
• Space Domain Awareness (SDA): Servicing vehicles equipped with advanced sensors can perform detailed inspections of other space objects. This allows for close-up diagnosis of malfunctioning satellites, characterization of unknown objects, and verification that assets have not been tampered with. This capability provides crucial information for both maintenance and space domain awareness, which can act like a “neighborhood watch” of the area surrounding the client vehicle.
• Active Debris Removal (ADR): The growing problem of orbital debris poses a significant threat to all space operations. ADR involves capturing and de-orbiting large pieces of space debris, such as defunct satellites and spent rocket bodies. This is essential for ensuring the long-term safety and sustainability of the space environment.
  • Orbital Transfer and Maneuvering: Logistics vehicles can also function as “space tugs,” repositioning satellites to different orbits to meet changing mission requirements. This could involve moving a satellite to a new operational slot or deploying a new satellite to its destination after launch.

The Pacing Threat: Adversary Ambitions in Space Logistics

While the US is still in the early stages of developing a formal space logistics enterprise, its primary strategic competitor, China, is already making significant strides. Under a unified national strategy that combines civil and military investment, China’s People’s Liberation Army Strategic Support Force (PLASSF) is aggressively pursuing a full spectrum of ISAM capabilities.[ii] This includes robotic servicing, reusable spacecraft, and rapid launch cycles.

In recent years, China has conducted several on-orbit demonstrations that highlight its growing proficiency. Chinese spacecraft have performed proximity operations and grappling maneuvers with other objects in geosynchronous orbit, demonstrating the foundational skills for servicing and capture.[iii] Chinese government documents have identified on-orbit refueling and servicing as key operational goals, and there is evidence to suggest that China has already demonstrated some of these capabilities in orbit.[iv] This rapid progress indicates that China is not only developing the technical means for space logistics but is also thinking through the operational and strategic implications. If the US fails to lead in this area, it risks ceding a critical and enduring advantage to its adversaries.

Launch-ready in 2026, Provisioner’s refueling mission will lay the groundwork for scalable, flexible logistics across space.

Forging the Future: A Framework for a US Space Logistics Enterprise

To counter this growing challenge and secure its own interests, the US must move decisively to build a comprehensive space logistics enterprise. This requires more than just developing technology; it demands institutional change, a clear doctrine, and sustained investment. Based on decades of operational sustainment experience, the following actions are recommended as a framework for this enterprise:

1. Establish a Dedicated Space Logistics Enterprise and Career Field: A flag-level enterprise staff and a dedicated career specialty should be created within the USSF. This organization would be responsible for developing doctrine, defining requirements, and overseeing the acquisition and sustainment planning for all space logistics functions. Logistics is a specialized discipline that succeeds when experts are empowered to manage the mission from end-to-end.
2. Require “Serviceable” Spacecraft Designs: The US government should mandate that all new national security satellites be designed with servicing in mind. This includes standardized docking interfaces, propellant transfer ports, and other accommodations that would allow for on-orbit refueling, repair, and upgrades.
3. Procure a Fleet of Operational Servicing Vehicles: The USSF should field a multi-orbit fleet of robotic servicing vehicles. This fleet would include refuelers, life-extension spacecraft, and inspection and surveillance assets, creating the orbital equivalent of the USAF’s tanker and mobility forces that underpin global air operations.
4. Develop Distributed Orbital Logistics Nodes: To enhance resilience and responsiveness, the US should pre-position assets in space. This could include orbital fuel depots, modular storage platforms, and other infrastructure that would enable persistent maneuver and rapid reconstitution of space capabilities during a conflict.
5. Expand Tactically Responsive Launch Capabilities: A robust space logistics enterprise also requires the ability to rapidly launch new assets into orbit. This is necessary to replace or augment constellations that have been degraded or to deploy new servicing vehicles and logistics nodes as needed.
6. Protect Logistics Assets: As logistics capabilities become a critical part of US space power, they will also become targets for adversaries. Therefore, it is essential that orbital logistics vehicles have the maneuverability and autonomy required to survive and operate in a contested environment.
   

   Members of the 18th Space Defense Combat Squadron, a unit assigned to U.S. Space Forces – Space under the USSF Force Generation model, observe orbital data at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., Oct. 4, 2024. As one of five mission sets, S4S provides space domain awareness, conducting tactical command and control of the space surveillance network to detect, track, and identify artificial objects in orbit.

Conclusion: The Imperative of Investing in Space Logistics

The logistics race in space will not be won by the nation that launches the most satellites; it will be won by the nation that can keep its assets in the fight the longest. Every new satellite launched without a servicing interface and every constellation fielded without a refueling option is another investment in an outdated paradigm that is being rapidly outmaneuvered. Space is no longer a pristine sanctuary; it is a contested domain. Just as airpower only reached its full potential after building a comprehensive sustainment backbone, so too must space power. The time has come to treat in-space logistics not as a future concept, but as the immediate strategic imperative that it is. The US possesses the experience, the technological prowess, and the innovative spirit to lead in this critical area. Now, it needs the vision and the will to act.

About the Author

Wes Norris is the VP of Business Development, National Security at Astroscale U.S., leading engagement with US defense and intelligence customers. Prior to joining Astroscale U.S., he served in a variety industry roles in companies that include AMMROC, Boeing, L3 Harris, Metrea Special Aerospace and Honeywell Aerospace. He is a retired USAF Colonel, culminating his career as the Director of Logistics (A-4) in AFSOC. A career aircraft/munitions maintenance and logistics officer, he served in various command and headquarters positions sustaining fighter, bomber, UAV, and special operations aircraft. He holds degrees from Excelsior University, Troy University, Air Command and Staff College, and the Eisenhower School.

References

[i] United States Space Force, Competitive Endurance (Washington, D.C.: Headquarters United States Space Force, 2021).

[ii] China Aerospace Studies Institute, “PLA On-Orbit Satellite Logistics,” Air University, March 18, 2024, https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/Portals/10/CASI/documents/Research/Space/2024-03-18%20PLA%20On-Orbit%20Satellite%20Logistics.pdf

[iii] China Aerospace Studies Institute, “PLA On-Orbit Satellite Logistics,” Air University, March 18, 2024, https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/Portals/10/CASI/documents/Research/Space/2024-03-18%20PLA%20On-Orbit%20Satellite%20Logistics.pdf.

[iv] Andrew Jones, “China’s Shijian spacecraft separate after pioneering geosynchronous orbit refueling tests,” SpaceNews, January 28, 2022, https://spacenews.com/chinas-shijian-spacecraft-separate-after-pioneering-geosynchronous-orbit-refueling-tests/.