The Foreign Service Journal, May 2022

48 MAY 2022 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL any other, though to varying degrees depending on the role space plays in individual portfolios. The Foreign Service Institute should consider a course—brief and online, at first—to introduce Foreign Service officers to space law, history and policy. Subsequently, FSI can develop a tiered approach, with topic-specific modules to prepare FSOs to integrate space into their work. We must also become familiar with what our interagency col- leagues are doing in space, along with allies and partners around the globe. While most people consider the European Space Agency or nations such as Russia, China and India, as “space- faring nations,” few are aware, for example, that NASA engages with more than 100 countries conducting space exploration and research. We have professionals in embassies in each and every one of these countries working in areas that intersect with this international space cooperation. We need diplomats who can engage on space to build on this cooperation and expand its potential for bringing peace and prosperity. Unfortunately, we must also become better attuned to the actions of adversaries that utilize and exploit space to advance their interests at the expense of our own. The Department of State must have professionals who understand the enduring interests, policies and procedures of the United Nations and NATO, as well as NASA and the Depart- ment of Defense, on space issues, but also those of commercial enterprises such as SpaceX, and the aspirations of allies, partners and adversaries around the globe. The department and the Foreign Service cannot subcontract this knowledge to others within the interagency, the private sec- tor or the international community; nor can we rely exclusively on a small corps of Civil Service colleagues. It is no exaggeration to say that, increasingly, such knowledge will be vital to our abil- ity to do our jobs on behalf of the United States and for the peace and prosperity of planet Earth. Just as we have Foreign Service officers who develop expertise in human rights or energy policy, the State Department will require specialization in space as well as general, introductory exposure for all officers, no matter their cone or location. Many Civil Service colleagues already possess impressive backgrounds and institutional knowledge regarding space, and the U.S. State Department has numerous talented professionals working on space-related matters at any one time. But such tal- ent and resources need to be expanded and coordinated across the department because space increasingly affects all aspects of U.S. foreign policy and our collective work to advance America’s interests and values. A deliberate, organized approach to space at State will ensure that talent and experience are expanded, retained and applied where needed, and not lost or neglected throughout individual careers. The synchronization of our space-related work will allow State to lead U.S. efforts with global allies and partners and to support other more targeted undertakings throughout the interagency, as well as within the scientific, commercial and academic realms. THE FUTURE IS NOW Space already plays a critical role in so many aspects of life and so much of what we do as diplomats. The role it can play in Alongside DoD, NASA, Commerce and other agencies, State will join interagency discussions and policymaking that will increasingly demand proficiency in the language of space. U.S.AIRFORCE/TRANGLE On April 18, 2020, 967 U.S. Air Force Academy cadets became the Space Force’s newest second lieutenants. Here they are marching on to the terrazzo to start the USAF’s Class of 2020 Graduation Ceremony in Colorado Springs, Colorado.