The United States Space Force (USSF) recently published a groundbreaking new handbook titled "Space Warfighting: A Framework for Planners", providing the strategic foundation for how the US will fight wars in the last frontier. The publication describes the country's strategy for space supremacy, merging orbital, electromagnetic, and cyberspace warfare components into a single doctrine for operations above and beyond Earth.

What Is 'Space Warfighting'?

Space warfighting refers to the application of military power to achieve dominance in space, a domain now recognized as essential to national security. The newly released framework emphasizes that space superiority is a prerequisite for success across all military domains: land, sea, air, and cyber. The USSF asserts that "space warfare is a certainty" because of space's increasing strategic value. Satellites for communication, global monitoring, and tracking systems for missiles, the US military power heavily relies on unfettered access to space.

Defining 'Space Superiority'

The idea of space superiority is the capacity to perform at a time and place of choice without interference from hostile space or counterspace threats and, at the same time, to deny that capacity to adversaries. The doctrine emphasizes dominance of celestial means of communication — i.e., satellite orbits and data transmission circuits — as the key. Space superiority refers to neutralizing opponent's capabilities so that they are incapable of meaningful action in space, whereas space supremacy denotes continuous, overwhelming dominance.

Three Pillars Of Space Combat Operations

To achieve superiority in orbit, the USSF describes three areas of mission:

Orbital Warfare – Comprises kinetic and non-kinetic strikes against enemy space platforms, such as direct orbital attacks to incapacitate or destroy satellites.

Electromagnetic Warfare – Disrupts enemy communication and radar systems through jamming, spoofing, and other types of electromagnetic interference.

Cyberspace Warfare – Affects the cyber infrastructure that enables space operations, including network hacking or injecting malware into control systems.

Role Of AI And Automation

Because of the complexity of the domain, high speeds, long distances, and crowded orbits, the USSF emphasizes a reduced role for human decision-making in real-time engagements. Highly automated systems will drive future space combat operations.Gen. Stephen Whiting, commander of U.S. Space Command

Gen. Stephen Whiting, commander of US Space Command. | Credits: Reuters

The guide reiterates that space superiority directly supports joint lethality in all military domains. According to the document, the capacity to dominate space "unlocks superiority in other domains, fuels Coalition lethality, and fortifies troop survivability." This vision for space warfighting is consistent with the USSF's "Competitive Endurance" strategy, which is meant to deter potential adversaries while preserving freedom of action for US and allied forces.

Why This Matters Now In 2025

As competitor countries such as China and Russia open their military space domains, the United States is making it clear that it will not surrender control of the orbital battlefield. Chief of Space Operations General B. Chance Saltzman stated that "We must defend US space capabilities and protect our forces from space-enabled attack. Space Warfighting provides the Service-level framework required to do so."

The USSF's new doctrine represents a sea change in military philosophy regarding space as not merely an auxiliary domain, but a warfighting theater unto itself. By operationalizing such concepts as orbital attacks, cyber interdiction, and celestial superiority, the U.S. is equipping its Guardians for a world where wars could be waged not just on the ground or water, but in space above the planet itself.