Author Description

In the past, the space domain was treated as a sanctuary-there was little emphasis on warfighting or tracking readiness to do so. But today the U.S. military and the Air Force expect a contested, denied, or operationally limited space environment, and it is important that all contributors to space operations-military, civilian, and contractors-are trained and ready to face these challenges. The Air Force has systems to track the readiness of operational military units, but no equivalent readiness information exists for contractors and the missions they perform to support space operations. The authors of this report reviewed contractor personnel tracking in Air Force databases, examined contractor information for two Air Fore Space Command (AFSPC) squadrons, and interviewed subject matter experts within these two squadrons and at Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC). The authors find that contractors contribute substantially to Air Force space mission, and they provide recommendations on how the Air Force can better monitor the readiness of these personnel.