The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies invites you to enjoy our rollout for our newest policy paper: Securing Cislunar Space and the First Island Off the Coast of Earth by Charles Galbreath, Senior Resident Fellow for Space Studies. He was joined by Thomas A. Lockhart Jr., Director, Capability and Resource Integration, U.S. Space Command, Dr. Joel B. Mozer, former United States Space Force Director of Science, Technology and Research, and Jim Bridenstine, former NASA administrator. The event was moderated by Gen Kevin P. Chilton, USAF (Ret.), Explorer Chair, Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence (MI-SPACE).

This paper discusses how the United States and China are locked in a race to harness the scientific, economic, and national security benefits related to the exploration of the Moon and the region of space affected by the gravity of both the Earth and Moon, known as the cislunar regime. The USSF and U.S. Space Command must have the capabilities to secure growing interests in this region and help the United States and our allies win the race. Losing means we risk the authoritarian territorial mindset of China becoming the established norm, impeding freedom of operations, and threatening peaceful endeavors, just as we are seeing in the South China Sea.  Modest, early investment is crucial to winning this race and reduces the future need for larger investments to overcome an advantage ceded to China.