Washinton: The Defence Department published it’s newest update to the document that assigns roles and missions to both the Space Force chief and the commander of US Space Command, with language that should plump up each of their influence with respect to joint force activities.
In particular, the new version of “DoD Directive 3100.10” — dated October 15 and signed by DoD Deputy Secretary Kathleen Hicks — for the first time codifies into Pentagon policy the three primary missions for which Space Force Guardians must be organised, trained and equipped to fulfill.
The directive also officially establishes the assistant secretary of defence for space policy as the chair of the Space Warfighting Activities group. That group, stood up last September as a coordinating body, is described by the new directive as “a forum to synchronise sensitive space activities with DoD strategic messaging, policy, and strategy.”
“DoD issuances generally aggregate and clarify signed guidance. As you know, this is a dynamic time for the space enterprise, and we are postured to continue to update our issuances as DoD policy evolution demands,” a DoD spokesperson said.
The previous version of the directive was issued in August 2022. It replaced the 2016 version (itself an update of the original 2012 directive) to reflect the creation of SPACECOM and the Space Force, as well as the 2022 accord signed last year by SPACECOM and the National Reconnaissance Office regarding their roles in defence of the spy agency’s own satellites.
