The DownLink Podcast Space Power: Is This The Space Strategy We Have Been Waiting For?
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Dec 20, 2025 Peter Garretson, a Senior Fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council and author of multiple books on space policy, delves into the recent executive order reshaping the U.S. national space strategy. He discusses its emphasis on securing space interests, the need for planetary defense against asteroids, and establishing behavioral norms in space. Garretson also addresses the push for lunar infrastructure and a commercial ISS replacement by 2030, raising questions about the future direction of Space Force and whether this initiative can serve as a lasting North Star for space policy.
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Executive Order As Space Policy
- The executive order functions as a new national space policy and clarifies administration intent.
- It explicitly ties U.S. interests to cislunar space and economic security in space.
Economic Security Extended To Cislunar
- The order emphasizes protecting 'vital economic security interests' in space from LEO through cislunar.
- It explicitly commands capabilities to detect, characterize, and counter threats including nuclear weapons in space.
Clementine As Rapid-Action Precedent
- Peter references the Clementine example where a rapid DoD mission mapped lunar resources and sparked new activity.
- He urges similar quick action for planetary defense and lunar reconnaissance.
