The Enduring Principles of U.S. Defense Space Policy

The Enduring Principles of U.S. Defense Space Policy

A research project by Prof. Eytan Tepper 

Executive Summary 

This research, conducted in residency at the George Washinton University Space Policy Institute, with the guidance of Dr. Scott Pace, seeks to uncover the enduring strategic principles of U.S. defense space policy, those that withstood time and the change of administrations, revolutions in military affairs, and geopolitical shifts. 

This project is part of a broader, Air Force-funded research project on how U.S. grand strategy should adapt to account for space-cyber power. A milestone in this rethinking of U.S. grand strategy is the charting of the current principles of U.S. defense space policy and whether they include – or should be expanded to include – command of the space-cyber commons.  

U.S. defense space policy originated in 1945, first articulated in a document from 1959, and evolved over the years, with the Space Force Doctrine Document 1 (SFDD-1) of April 2025 being the most recent articulation. This research seeks to identify its enduring principles as conceived by statesmen and the defense establishment. The study therefore employs a qualitative methodology, drawing on semi-structured interviews with current and former government officials, defense establishment professionals, congressional staff, and policy experts, including think tank fellows and observers on and around the Hill. Interview data are complemented by archival research conducted in Washington, DC.