The Foreign Service Journal, May 2022

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2022 47 The 2019 establishment of the U.S. Space Force is tangible rec- ognition that humanity’s future lies among the stars, represent- ing as it does an acute awareness that where human beings ven- ture, conflict often follows. In January NATO released its formal space policy that recognizes space as a new operational domain, alongside air, land, sea and cyberspace. At the same time, much positive bilateral and multilateral work has occurred in space. From U.S.-Soviet space cooperation dating to the 1970s, to the International Space Station and now the Artemis lunar program, collaboration has proven more the rule than the exception. It is imperative that the State Department, too, be in space. Today’s diplomats, not tomorrow’s, must develop a deep under- standing of the interdisciplinary legal and policy aspects of outer space and a firm grasp of national priorities, interests, opportuni- ties and policy constraints in space. State must invest in space as an increasingly vital element in all the various areas in which we work. Everything from agriculture and the environment to com- merce and defense will be influenced by humanity’s expansion into the cosmos. Space activities and operations may take place in their own separate domain for cooperation and for conflict, but satellites and other space assets will also serve as platforms that affect and are affected by terrestrial developments, as well. The Department of State and the Foreign Service are uniquely situated to help address the cross-cutting and interconnected nature of the opportunities and challenges of this activity. DIPLOMACY IN THE SPACE AGE Thus far, much of U.S. space policy and diplomacy is limited to a small cadre of subject matter experts. However, the positions dealing with space are few and far between and often represent a one-time career flourish. Quite simply, State does not have generalists who can engage on space regardless of posting and develop these skills over time. Understanding space issues and opportunities begins with education, training and awareness raising. Our Department of Defense colleagues are preparing this generation of national defense professionals for careers involving space operations; the State Department must do the same. While on detail as Depart- ment of State Visiting Professor at the United States Air Force Academy, I had the honor and privilege of being part of a team to consider and devise curriculum for cadets graduating into the United States Space Force. As part of this effort, I directed and taught a course on space policy in the political science depart- ment. Alongside DoD, NASA, Commerce and other agencies, State will join interagency discussions and policymaking that will increasingly demand proficiency in the language of space. America’s diplomats must become fluent in this language like ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/1XPERT