In a thoughtful article published in the Aerospace Power Journal in 2000, USAF Lt. Col. Cynthia A. S. McKinley proposed the creation of a Space Guard on the Coast Guard model. Her proposal was framed primarily in terms of Air Force functions, needs, and force structures: she called for moving the space functions of the Air Force that were not primarily or directly related to warfighting into this new service. The Space Guard — which, like the Coast Guard, would be armed and under military discipline — would be viewed as having a “guardian” function (to use the terminology proposed by Jane Jacobs in her classic work Systems of Survival). While a warfighting service spends peacetime training for and (hopefully) deterring war because of its capabilities, a guardian service during peacetime is not waiting for anything; its daily activities are its justification, and in that respect, it is more like an ordinary civil government agency. Yet it is also expected to be able to carry out its functions under battle conditions in wartime, and its members understand that facing death is part of what the uniform means.
I do like the idea of preparing for day-to-day missions rather than preparing for when the balloon goes up. Any capabilities that give us the ability to stay in space will pay off in many war and peace missions.
But I still think it should be part of the Department of the Air Force even if it is not part of the Air Force as I've urged. But I didn't put a whole lot of thought into it. I was mostly reacting to the ridiculous air force battle with the Army over missions that the Army is capable of taking over with UAVs. It seemed to make far more sense for the Air Force to go higher for missions only it can perform as the Army gained altitude. And if they didn't, I figured the Navy would beat the Air Force to space.
Aim high? Guard high? Just get there and stay there.
