“Space control” is a legacy term of art from United States military doctrine for space operations. It refers to the mission of ensuring friendly access to outer space. However, there is another form of space control for spacefaring national security organizations, though it isn’t usually discussed in those terms. “The other space control” refers to decisions about who controls what within the U.S. national security space enterprise. Following the establishment of the U.S. Air Force in 1947, the Joint Chiefs of Staff brokered agreements for the division of aircraft among the military services, colloquially referred to as the Key West Agreement. Since the establishment of the U.S. Space Force and U.S. Space Command in 2019, we’ve seen similar deliberations about the roles and responsibilities for various aspects of the national security space enterprise. When the next Trump administration turns its attention to space policy, here are some of the “other space control” matters they are likely to encounter.

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