One sign of how important space is to military operations, particularly U.S. military operations, is that the countries who are our most likely military opponents, particularly China and Russia, are investing tens of millions of dollars in a range of technologies intended to degrade or destroy satellites and space capabilities.
National security and military space operations fall into three broad categories: communications, reconnaissance, and precision navigation. Each is essential for warfighting. The benefits they provide are intangible in the sense that we are not talking about weapons or physical effect. Space creates an informational advantage. The U.S. is more dependent than most nations, but this dependence is part of what makes U.S. forces so formidable.
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