TOPIC SPONSORS: SPOC/2SWS/DOC & 1 SOPS & USSF/45MSG
Is the United States equipped and prepared to use offensive assets to neutralize enemy space assets and constellations in a timely/effective manner? (SPOC/2SWS/DOC) How does the OODA loop work in a space environment? What’s the optimal timeline needed to observe and orient before deciding? (1 SOPS) How can the Space Force ensure the ability to carry out critical missions in a contested environment? (USSF/45MSG) How are Centers of Gravity (CoGs) for offensive actions prioritized regarding emerging Space Domain capabilities or Space Power projection? (HQ USSF S36RL)
- Accuosti, Capt. Nicholas, "Cislunar Space as a Warfighting Domain," SOS AUAR, 2025, 4 pgs.
- Adewunmi, Maj. Adekunbi H., "Evolving Deterrence: Preventing Destruction in Outer Space," AFGC thesis, 2025, 48 pgs.
- Adewunmi addresses this by emphasizing the need for the U.S. Space Force to transition away from vulnerable, "exquisite" legacy satellites toward hybrid, proliferated constellations that incorporate commercial capabilities like SpaceX's Starlink and Starshield. By adopting a posture of "Competitive Endurance" and integrated deterrence, she argues that the U.S. can ensure mission survival against PRC and Russian counterspace weapons through sheer resilience and the rapid replenishment of assets, which removes an adversary's advantage in launching a first strike.
- Baumeister, Maj. D. Harry, "Failure to Launch: Gray Zone Conflict in Space," AFGC thesis, 2026, 50 pgs.
- Baumeister directly applies Colonel John Boyd's OODA loop to space doctrine, identifying "dictating the tempo of operations" as a critical strategy to defeat gray zone threats. He notes that adversaries rely on slow, gradual operations ("salami-slicing") to build advantage over time without triggering a response. To counter this, he argues USSF doctrine must empower lower- and mid-level decision-makers to act quickly to deny adversaries the time they need to succeed, though he cautions that this bias for action must be properly bounded by doctrine to avoid spiraling military escalation.
- Dawson, Maj. Amber M., "The Operational Art of Military Space Operations," SAASS thesis, 2021, 149 pgs.
- Emery, Lt. Col. Andrew J., "Beyond Space Warfare: Crime and Piracy in the Space Domain," SAASS thesis, 2018, 297 pgs.
- Goodman, Maj. Brian, "Offensive Dominance in Space," AF Fellows Paper (2024), subsequently published in Aether (Vol. 3, No. 1, Spring 2024): 66-80.
- Hannan, Maj. Abdul, "Preparing for the Future: Forging the Fundamentals of Space Superiority by Leveraging Lessons from Airpower," GCPME thesis, 2023, 64 pgs.
- Hans, Maj. Brian E., Maj. Christopher D. Jefferson and Maj. Joshua M. Wehrle, "Movement and Maneuver in Deep Space: A Framework to Leverage Advanced Propulsion," ACSC paper, 2017.
- Jodice, Maj. Adam P., "United States Space Combat Capability," ACSC Schriever Scholars Paper, 2020, 21 pgs.
- Luina, Nicholas A., "National Power: The Execution of Spacepower through All Instruments of Power," SAASS thesis, 2021, 92 pgs.
- Peery, Maj. Oliver B., "Cyber Warfare in Space," GCPME thesis, 2025, 38 pgs.
- Rees, Maj. Michael "Tonic" J., "Interstellar Jurisprudence: Legal Challenges in Applying Traditional Frameworks to Space and Cyber Warfare," GCPME paper, 2024, 46 pgs.
- Seal, Lt. Col. Jonathon S., "Doctrine Gap: Space Integration vs. Counterspace," AWC PSP, 2020, 27 pgs.