July 14, 2020

Stovepipes in space: How the US can overcome bureaucracy to improve capabilities

With our dependence on space-based systems growing, and threats to them accelerating nearly as fast, the new U.S. Space Force is good for the country. A military service fighting to maintain our vital on-orbit capabilities, even while they are under attack, will be a key member of the joint war-fighting team.

Overcoming this impediment will require a personal push from the entire leadership of the Department of Defense, led by the secretary, as well as the intelligence community, led by the director of national intelligence.

Gen. John “Jay” Raymond and his staff are working a wide range of tasks to stand up the Space Force. They include important ongoing responsibilities such as space situational awareness and commercial satellite contracting, as well as planning for and exercising defensive and offensive missions in wartime. However, their efforts are made less efficient and effective by one huge impediment: the over-classification and compartmentation of both program and intelligence space information.

Overcoming this impediment will require a personal push from the entire leadership of the Department of Defense, led by the secretary, as well as the intelligence community, led by the director of national intelligence.

Read the full article in Defense News.

  • Commentary
    • April 29, 2025
    Five Objectives to Guide U.S. AI Diffusion

    The Framework for AI Diffusion (the Framework) is an ambitious proposal to shape the global distribution of critical AI capabilities, maintain U.S. AI leadership, and prevent ...

    By Janet Egan & Spencer Michaels

  • Commentary
    • Just Security
    • April 25, 2025
    Shaping the World’s AI Future: How the U.S. and China Compete to Promote Their Digital Visions

    As the United States navigates evolving global AI competition, balancing these elements will be crucial in determining whose AI systems — and by extension, whose approaches, v...

    By Keegan McBride

  • Reports
    • April 24, 2025
    Countering the Digital Silk Road: Brazil

    Project Overview This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Digital Silk Road (DSR), China’s ambitious initiative to shape critical digital infrastructure around the world to...

    By Ruby Scanlon & Bill Drexel

  • Reports
    • April 22, 2025
    Promethean Rivalry

    Executive Summary Just as nuclear weapons revolutionized 20th-century geopolitics, artificial intelligence (AI) is primed to transform 21st-century power dynamics—with world l...

    By Bill Drexel

View All Reports View All Articles & Multimedia