Samuel Lefcourt

Designating Space as a Critical Infrastructure

  1. Space system problem
    1. Sector as a whole not given priority
  2. Summary
    1. https://www.insaonline.org/designating-space-systems-as-new-u-s-critical-infrastructure-sector/
    1. the Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA) wants to designate Space Systems as New U.S. Critical Infrastructure Sector
    1. U.S. space systems new sector of U.S. critical infrastructure
    1. Space systems are vital to U.S. national and economic security even though space is not one of the 16 critical infrastructures.  They include the following: Chemical, Communications, Commercial Facilities, Critical Manufacturing, Dams, Defense Industrial Base, Emergency Services, Energy, Financial Services, Food and Agriculture, Government Facilities, Healthcare and Public Health, Information Technology, Nuclear Reactors, Materials, and Waste, Transportation Systems, Water and Wastewater Systems.
    1.  Space systems include technology such as GPS and communication satellites which help every sector, to a varying degree.  It has a large influence in the defense, agriculture, transportation, energy, and telecommunications sectors.
    1. Space is on the back burner, comparatively speaking, and led by emerging commercial organizations.  Other countries have set it as a priority and now have the ability to take our assets offline.  Designating the space sector would ensure the government prioritizes space, its development, its vulnerabilities and how to address them.
  3. Cybersecurity Implications
    1. The U.S. will focus on its current space cybersecurity and identify areas of improvement.  There are current threats.  Other countries may see this shift and attempt to plant backdoors in U.S. systems while space is being maneuvered as an emerging critical infrastructure.
  4. Most impacted
    1. The hype around space will inevitably increase.  This will lead to more investors evaluating space systems with the same level of potential profit as the 2017 bitcoin and blockchain.  Because space will be a critical infrastructure, companies falling under this umbrella will be given certain permissions, such as the ability to work on-site during a pandemic.  On the flip side, the existing 16 critical infrastructures will see their budget decrease as some is split to include the new sector.