Realising the Ambitions of the UK's Defence Space Strategy: Factors Shaping Implementation to 2030

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Retter, Lucia

Contributor:

Black, James

Ogden, Theodora

Language:

English

Other Title:

Realising the Ambitions of the UK's Defence Space Strategy

Place of Publication:

Santa Monica, Calif. RAND Corporation 2022

Summary:

The UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) is about to embark on implementation of the new Defence Space Strategy in support of the overarching vision of the UK's National Space Strategy to become a 'meaningful actor in space'. This begins in the context of the establishment of a National Space Council, a new MOD Space Directorate and a joint Space Command to drive coherence and to deliver UK Defence's contribution to the broader national space strategy and policy. It also begins from a relatively low baseline of existing capability and skills in some areas. Realising the ambitions of the Defence Space Strategy will be predicated upon a sound understanding of the factors that shape implementation, a clear articulation of the UK's strengths in the space domain, and a robust assessment of different options for space capability management. This study provides an initial look at the different factors influencing the implementation of the Defence Space Strategy. This includes a review of the relevant physical characteristics of the space domain, and trends and developments in the space economy, technology and policy, as well as analysis of the unique attributes of the UK space enterprise—including its strengths and weaknesses. The study also presents a decision support tool designed to help decision makers navigate capability management choices along the 'own-collaborate-access' framework articulated in the 2021 Defence and Security Industrial Strategy.