In The Transformation of American Airpower, Benjamin Lambeth points out that “just because a mission can be done from space does not mean that it should be.” General Lance Lord, the Commander of Air Force Space Command, talks about platforms such as lighter than air craft to attack the problem. Operating at an altitude of 65,000 to 80,000 feet, platforms much like weather balloons would carry sensors to track fleeting targets form altitudes that enable engineers to solve the problems associated with capturing these targets from space. Recasting the debate in these terms challenges the traditional drive of space visionaries to migrate to space any mission that is possible to perform in space. One wonders if this notion of pulling back from space supports the doctrine of space supremacy and what it will do to an already confusing cultural debate between traditional pilots and an emerging space cadre. National security space leaders are now faced with a difficult decision—enable the U.S. to maximize the gains from the space commons by developing systems to find and track new target sets in the contested zones; or develop space control systems to assure command of the space commons by protecting satellites and ground architectures from a threat in space. It is unlikely that U.S. defense budgets will support both.

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Henderson, Scott A. The Third Battle: Is the U.S. Ready to Wage the Next Conflict in Space?. Maxwell AFB, AL: USAF Air University, March 2004. [ 7 quotes ] [ page 29 ]