October 05, 2024 - The U.S. Department of Defense has announced plans to integrate commercial and military space industry assets in times of ‘conflict or crisis’. The plan, known as the Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve (CASR), will go far beyond traditional military-commercial contracts, integrating commercial equipment into military units and exercises with the agreement that they will be deployed should the need arise.
The Commercial Space Strategy document, released in April 2024, outlines the plan which has been in discussion for over a year, with the U.S. Department of Defense increasingly viewing space as a critical domain which will be they key to gaining the upper hand in future conflicts.
With China’s space capabilities growing at a rate that will be incredibly difficult to match, the plan will allow the U.S. military to draw on the capacity of the largest commercial space industry in the world. The plan cites a growing threat from China and Russia to disrupt U.S. satellites and the need for commercial capabilities to maintain communications, navigation, surveillance and missile warning.
“CASR shows just how serious we are about integrating commercial capabilities along with our military space capabilities,” said Col. Richard Kniseley, senior materiel leader of the Space Systems Command’s Commercial Space Office.
Companies that wish to be a part of the CASR programme will have to prove that they have the capacity to support the U.S. military in wartime scenarios and will be required to provide products or services that the U.S. deems as essential for critical operations.
Aside from the financial incentives, companies integrated will gain access to threat intelligence, which could prove to be invaluable information in a space landscape that becomes increasingly dangerous as nations continue to develop their space warfighting capabilities.
The ComSatCom focus day at the MilSatCom USA conference will feature industry experts who will explore the relationship between military and commercial industries in space, which will also be covered at the Global MilSatCom conference.
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