Department of Defense
DIRECTIVE
NUMBER 3100.10
October 18, 2012
USD(P)
SUBJECT: Space Policy
References: See Enclosure 1
1. PURPOSE. This Directive reissues DoD Directive (DoDD) 3100.10 (Reference (a)) to
update established DoD space policy and assigned DoD responsibilities for space-related
activities in accordance with the National Space Policy, Presidential Policy Directive-4
(Reference (b)) and the National Security Space Strategy (Reference (c)). It addresses
comprehensively the challenges posed in an increasingly congested, contested, and competitive
space domain.
2. APPLICABILITY. This Directive applies to OSD, the Military Departments, the Office of
the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Joint Staff, the Combatant Commands, the
Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Defense, the Defense Agencies, the DoD
Field Activities, and all other organizational entities within DoD (hereinafter referred to
collectively as the “DoD Components”).
3. DEFINITIONS. See Glossary
4. POLICY. It is DoD policy that:
a. DoD space-related activities shall strengthen safety, sustainability, stability, and security
in space; maintain and enhance the national security advantages afforded by the use of space;
and energize the space industrial base that supports U.S. national security.
b. The sustainability and stability of the space environment, as well as free access to and use
of space, are vital to U.S. national interests. Purposeful interference with U.S. space systems,
including their supporting infrastructure, will be considered an infringement of U.S. rights. Such
interference, or interference with other space systems upon which the United States relies, is
irresponsible in peacetime and may be escalatory during a crisis. The United States will retain
the capabilities to respond at the time and place of our choosing.
