By Sandra Erwin,
From: Space News Military Letter, 4 August 2026
U.S. Space Command has published a new blueprint for how leaders think wars will be fought by 2040, and its central message is that protecting satellites alone won’t be enough.
The Space Warfighting Environment 2040 argues that a military advantage will come from the resilience of the entire system connecting satellites, communications links and ground infrastructure. Rather than focusing on individual spacecraft, the command says the Pentagon needs networks that can continue providing communications, navigation, missile warning and intelligence even after being jammed, damaged or attacked.
That means more maneuverable and replaceable satellites, distributed ground stations, deeper integration with commercial providers and allies, and faster acquisition of new capabilities. The report identifies China’s rapidly expanding space capabilities as the primary long-term pacing challenge, while describing Russia as more likely to rely on jamming, cyberattacks and information operations.
The report leans heavily on recent conflicts to make its case.
It points to Russia’s war in Ukraine as evidence that disrupting GPS, satellite communications and data networks can be as effective as attacking satellites themselves. It also cites Iran’s 2025 missile strike on the radome housing a U.S. satellite communications terminal at Al Udeid Air Base, arguing that the attack demonstrated how adversaries can target the ground infrastructure that enables military space operations.
The report further highlights Iran’s reported use of commercially available, AI-enhanced satellite imagery as an example of how countries without sophisticated military space constellations can combine commercial data, electronic warfare and conventional weapons to threaten U.S. space-enabled operations. The document is the first installment of what Space Command calls a “Space Trilogy,” to be followed by studies of emerging issues and a formal warfighting concept for space.
From: Space News Military Letter, 4 August 2026
