Army Aviation and the Space Domain

By CPT Jesslyn F. Clark and MAJ Heidi M. Beemer

Article published on: July 1, 2025 in the July-September 2025 Issue of the Aviation Digest

Read Time: < 12 mins

Photo courtesy of Pexels.com

Impact of the Space Domain on Aviation

Multidomain operations (MDO) inspire visions of asymmetric warfare across a massive operational environment (OE), and conflict encompassing all elements of air, land, maritime, cyber, and space. Large-scale combat operations (LSCO, a fight against a near-peer adversary, a scenario the U.S. has not seen since World War II, is clearly outlined in the recently published Field Manual (FM) 3-0, Operations (Department of the Army [DA], 2025b, p. 3). Operating and sustaining a conflict of this size will be challenging, and planning and preparing for all domain facets will be crucial. Ironically, the domain farthest from our Soldiers on the battlefield—space—could be the most impactful to our daily operations.

Early in my career, I participated in a training exercise hosted by the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command’s Army Space Training Division (ASTD). This office facilitates space training for U.S. Army Forces Command units in support of the Army Space Training Strategy (ASTS). This training consisted of academic instruction on the effects of a denied, degraded, and disrupted space operational environment (D3SOE) and a practical portion of flying through a degraded environment. This experience was beneficial for a young aviator. The real-time correlation of changes with the helicopter instrumentation, a chance to troubleshoot the issues, and ultimately diagnose affected systems proved to be a foundational experience for all crew members. Observing the disrupted properties of our global positioning system (GPS) waypoint and degradation of our personal electronic devices (PEDs) and embedded global positioning/inertial navigation systems prompted multiple changes to our tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs); unit tactical standard operating procedures (SOPs); and crew briefs. As a direct result, the chain of command addressed the possibility of experiencing a D3SOE while flying and prioritized training and education to prepare the unit. The ASTD continues to collaborate with the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command to integrate space education, enhance contested OE training realism at combat training centers (CTCs), and conduct home station training for brigades and warfighters (U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense School, 2024).

“Space operations are those operations impacting or directly utilizing space-based assets to enhance the potential of the U.S. and unified action partners”

(DA, 2019, p. 1-1)

“The Army Space Training Strategy (ASTS) provides a framework to educate and train Soldiers at all levels across the total Army on current space capabilities and mitigation procedures for contested environments” (U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense School, 2024, p. 1). Annex N provides fundamental considerations, detailed information, and instructions on friendly and enemy space capabilities to aid commanders’ operational decision-making (DA, 2019, p. A-1; DA, 2022, p. 2-27). A clear understanding of our formation’s reliance on space capabilities, and the tactical space capabilities available, can ensure we are planning key mission events during times of decreased adversary visibility and synchronize joint force capabilities in time and space (Figure).

Utilization of Space-Based Capabilities

Today, all Army Soldiers, regardless of their military occupational specialty, rely on space-enabled devices, including PEDs, aircraft, weapons systems, communications equipment, command posts (CPs), and tactical operations centers (TOC). “A combat aviation brigade (CAB) has more than 2,500 positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) enabled devices and more than 250 satellite communications (SATCOM)-enabled devices used to support all warfighting functions (WfFs)” (DA, 2019, p. 1-1). Brigades must incorporate advanced systems and technologies education and training into their unit training plan, while simultaneously ensuring Soldiers can complete the same tasks without the use of these devices. This training deepens Soldiers’ understanding of the system, prepares them for reacting to a D3SOE, and increases the unit’s chances of mission success. This equipment enhances efficiency, agility, and extends operational reach. All commanders must understand space capabilities and operations, recognize their advantages in understanding those capabilities, and the impact to missions when friendly/ enemy forces are denied their use (DA, 2019, p. 1-2).

Figure. Army space operations concept overview (DA, 2019, p. 1-3).

Space capabilities enable the Army to operate, communicate, converge, and protect units at echelon across large areas, synchronizing division efforts and supporting all WfFs (Table 1). Space mission areas include PNT, space situational awareness, space control, SATCOM, satellite operations, missile warning, environmental monitoring, and space-based surveillance and reconnaissance. All WfFs depend on space capabilities. Their various effects are interwoven throughout all six functions1to facilitate decision-making at the corps level and below. As technology advances, so will our use of space-based capabilities, but we are not the only ones. Our adversaries have watched our reliance on these systems grow and have actively built a robust architecture capable of denying our use of space. An enemy who can contest the space domain and force a D3SOE can significantly disrupt all missions.

Space Officers at the division echelon and above are responsible for planning, integrating, and coordinating space capabilities for their subordinate units. While our ability to counter adversary space effects is limited, space support elements (SSEs) can provide products that mitigate the impact of a D3SOE and integrate into targeting by providing non-lethal effects in coordination with higher headquarters. These subject matter experts also support tactical formations through education, specifically the use of navigation and communication encryption. This is the single best—yet often overlooked—way to combat the effects of electromagnetic interference.

Table 1. Use of space capabilities by WfF contrasted by aviation core competencies LSCO (DA, 2019, pp. 4-10 to 4-14; DA, 2025a, p. 3-8).

Aviation’s Role in D3SOE

When presented with a degraded space OE, Army Aviation may provide limited capabilities typically associated with space-based systems such as communications, navigation, or reconnaissance to the ground force commander. Aviation’s internal capabilities may vary throughout missions (Table 2). Aircraft and systems can augment retransmission sites and aid with information collection, including Synthetic Aperture Radar,2enhancing precision fires and providing reliable targeting for non-GPS-reliant precision munitions. Army Aviation’s ability to enhance C2 with maneuver forces can strengthen long-range communications, extend situational awareness, and ensure key leaders are embedded in real time at crucial decision points. Understanding division assets and coordinating with SSE planners for space operations integration, collection of space running estimates, incorporating space factors during intelligence preparation of the OE, and the publication of Annex N will be vital for mission success. Planning and preparing to incorporate space capabilities into base aviation tasks, small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), tactical UAS, and future long-range assault aircraft platforms into medical evacuation (MEDEVAC), air movement, air resupply, reconnaissance, and attack missions will ensure our formations maintain lethality, speed, and decisiveness in combat. However, can we do more? As technology evolves, so do the list of contingencies. This will require a corresponding evolution of our planning factors to ensure success and superiority in LSC.

Training for a D3SOE Fight

Training and educating Soldiers to understand and fight through a D3SOE is the best way to prepare our formations for this reality. The ASTS establishes a framework to improve space education and training across the force. It highlights the importance of incorporating space education into all professional military education, home station training, and culminating training events like CTCs. For Army Aviation, amending tasks to require repetitions be conducted in a D3SOE and updating TTPs in Aircrew Training Manuals (ATM)3could increase awareness of this threat. Creating or updating Aviation Branch SOP4contingencies, addressing flight in a degraded environment, and emphasizing the importance of training base tasks and tactical tasks will aid situational awareness. Introducing junior aviators to a virtual D3SOE in the Aviation Combined Arms Tactical Trainer, synthetic training environment, or including more in-depth academics during institutional training would establish primacy of the subject and allow the aviators to begin incorporating space into their planning and preparation. During individual and collective training, aircrew members can rehearse the Primary, Alternate, Contingency, and Emergency (PACE) plan, incorporate D3SOE into the aircrew brief, and practice their mission-essential and ATM tasks via analog products. Unit trainers and instructor pilots should integrate training aids, devices, simulators, and simulations into the unit training plan to enhance training and aviator proficiency. The staff can provide aviation-specific tools like GPS degradation plots at altitude so pilots can plan flight paths that exploit gaps in jammer coverage. Division SSEs can provide education and support realistic training scenarios, like providing jamming effects and coaching, as well as support in training tasks like encryption and protection measures.

Table 2. Consideration factors for Army Aviation in D3SOE (DA, 2025a, p. 4-13).

“Even a simple training flight leverages space-based capabilities.”

(U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence, 2025, p. 1)

Training in realistic, live jamming environments clarifies why supervisors and noncommissioned officers must incorporate D3SOE contingencies into precombat checks and precombat inspections during CP operations. Deploying antennas far from the TOC, ensuring navigation equipment is encrypted prior to use, disseminating analog maps, properly employing camo netting, training and submitting SPOT reports,5and understanding the PACE plan should all be reinforced. Training Soldiers how to identify, mitigate, locate, and report a D3SOE threat will increase confidence and situational awareness across the CP.

After completing home station training, units can train against live D3SOE effects at the National Training Center (NTC) within the training scenario. Ghost Team observes, coaches, and trains all activities within the information and human domains, controls the electromagnetic environment within the training area, and trains units to plan and react to a D3SOE. Each rotation typically experiences upward of 100 hours of interference across frequency modulation; the networked battle command information system, Joint Battle Command-Platform; and GPS to create a realistic OE. These effects are executed by a free-thinking adversary, and all effects are approved by the Commander of Operations Group to ensure overall training objectives are met. Additionally, Eagle Team utilizes the Training Aircraft Survivability Equipment Simulation Suite, or TASS,6at the NTC to provide aircrews with feedback and experience operating in a threat-based degraded environment.

During large-scale training events at the NTC, aviation units and staffs must focus on the imperatives of MDO, specifically assuming they are under constant observation and emitting across the electromagnetic spectrum. Noise and light discipline remain important aspects of area security, but many more emissions can negatively affect operations. Leaders should continuously rehearse and emphasize the importance of full-spectrum emissions control. Formations will be under constant observation across all nine forms of contact; a Soldier's understanding of their digital footprint and how it is seen from space will increase their survivability (DA, 2025b, pp. 58-59).

Army Aviation’s ability to plan, communicate, maneuver, protect, and sustain the ground force is inextricably linked to space. The Army Leader Development Strategy states, “Leader development is achieved through the life-long synthesis of the knowledge, skills, and experiences gained through the training and education opportunities in the institutional, operational, and self-development domains” (DA, 2017, p. 3). Commanders at echelon must understand their subordinate unit’s equipment and capabilities, train Soldiers, develop contingencies plans, conduct rehearsals, and incorporate space planning factors into the military decision-making process. Education and training may be the deciding factors in aviation’s ability to see/sense, move, strike, extend, and generate combat power for the ground force commander—and ultimately—our chances of success in LSCO.

A Skydio UAS flies across a field during Combined Resolve 25-02 at the Hohenfels Training Center in Germany. U.S. Army photo by SPC Hunter Carpenter.

The 1st Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, deploys a small uncrewed aircraft system at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Johnson, Louisiana. U.S. Army photo by Michelle Miller (PEO, Aviation).

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