There are two types of defensive counterspace operations, active and passive. These are defined below. The objective of active defense is to detect, track, identify, intercept, and destroy or neutralize enemy space and missile forces. Active defense operations include maneuvering the satellite, deploying mobile ground links and terrestrial elements, and deploying decoys. The objectives of passive defense are to reduce the vulnerabilities and to protect and increase the survivability of friendly space forces and the information they provide.
Passive defense includes measures such as encryption, frequency hopping, and hardening.
Surveillance and reconnaissance of space provide the situational awareness and targeting which are essential to conducting effective counterspace operations. These functions are critical to determining potential ballistic missile threats to the North American land mass, US operations worldwide, as well as space systems. The preceding discussion of current and evolving doctrine is intended to provide a departure point for discussing counterspace operations in 2025. To circumscribe the remaining discussion, we must look to where the Air Force leadership wants us to go in the relative near-term as we then leap to 2025. The Air Force Executive Guidance document provides vectors across all areas of core competency including relevant assumptions and specific guidance statements.