On Sept. 28, the Emerging Security Issues (ESI) course turned its focus to space, bringing together experts and senior leaders to discuss a domain that has become essential to both national security and everyday life.

“You are confronted with space, or you are using space services and activities, at least 35 times per day,” said Prof. Kai-Uwe Schrogl, special advisor for political affairs at the European Space Agency.

Schrogl challenged participants to imagine a day without space-based services. The result, he said, would affect everything from communications and navigation to banking, transportation, and other daily activities that many people take for granted.

The second week of ESI examined how countries can improve safety and security in space. Discussions focused on protecting satellites from collisions and interference while ensuring the space capabilities that support military operations remain reliable in times of crisis.

“Think about your country's situation, its capabilities, its vulnerabilities, and its policies, and where those need to be adapted to meet today's realities,” said Marshall Center Professor Monika Wohlfeld.

A key advantage of Marshall Center resident programs is direct access to senior leaders and practitioners who bring real-world experience to complex security challenges. As part of the program, participants heard from German Air Force Gen. Ingo Gerhartz, commander of Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum.

“We have to understand that space is an operational domain by itself,” Gerhartz said. “It can deliver effects, and those effects can have an impact in other domains, at sea, on land, and in the air. The relevance of space is increasing every day.”

His message was echoed by U.S. Space Force Col. Jonathan Whitaker, chief of staff of NATO's Space Theatre Component, who described how the Alliance's understanding of space has evolved.  

“I grew up in an era where space was an enabler to all others," Whitaker said. "We were in the back helping the guys in the front. Now we recognize space as a front unto itself, one that can be contested, denied, or provide us an advantage.”

Whitaker pointed to growing investments by NATO and its European Allies as countries build capabilities in a domain that is becoming increasingly important to both security and military operations.

“One thing your students can take away is that they all have a stake in this,” he said. “Whether they work in security policy or military operations, space affects what they do.”

For participants, that is the central lesson of the week: understanding a domain that shapes military operations, national security, and daily life, and developing the tools to respond to its growing importance.