DRONESBOOM! LIGHTS OUT
Power generation is the center of gravity for space capabilities, and it is vulnerable to the effects of explosive ordnance, for example, drone delivered bombs.
BOOM! And just like that the enemy has made your lights go out and severed the link between your space-enabled device and constellation of supporting satellites orbiting the Earth.
Power generation is the center of gravity for space capabilities, and it is vulnerable to the effects of explosive ordnance, for example, drone delivered bombs. Without electricity, your space or air defense capability is a brick. The more austere the environment, the greater the risk to the power generation infrastructure. This is why Army explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) needs to train with the Space Force and Air Defense Artillery today, long before Golden Dome, comes online.
Like space literacy, there is a requirement for explosive ordnance literacy and the integration of EOD doctrine with space and air defense doctrine. Where stuff lands matters. On a battlefield operating at the speed of light, two hours of downtime can affect the outcome of a battle. Collection of critical intelligence ceases, directly affecting maneuver in the multidomain fight. If you kill the power generation source or degrade the transmission of energy, there is no electricity for your space or space-enabled device.
The U.S. Space Force’s Space Warfighting A Framework for Planners describes offensive counterspace operations as orbital warfare, space link interdiction (electronic/cyber warfare), and terrestrial strike. Physically attacking space capabilities in orbit (orbital warfare) are high risk due to increased space debris affecting all spacefaring nations. In 2025, mutual assured destruction prevents outright explosive ordnance attacks on orbit as everyone is still living with the aftermath of a 2007 People’s Republic of China (PRC) anti-satellite test. This resulted in a hazardous debris ring of more than 30,000 pieces orbiting the Earth. Terrestrial attacks using explosive ordnance is the most likely threat.
In space, down time is measured in mere nano seconds. Compare this with ground operations. How far can enemy infantry move during a two-hour blackout because a disrupted drone, now unexploded ordnance (UXO), litters a power generation or transmission source for a space capability? The enemy will use explosives because they work, as demonstrated in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. In the future, explosives will be deployed at a exponentially greater capacity, as seen with the recent Russian attack using 267 drones against Ukraine targets. While Ukraine reported 138 brought down and 119 disappeared, those scattered drones have now created minefields or “dudfields.”
