This article examines the cybersecurity challenges facing the Space Defense Industrial Base (S-DIB) as military space operations become increasingly dependent on commercial partnerships, interconnected digital infrastructure, and rapidly expanding industrial capabilities. The establishment of the U.S. Space Force and the growing integration of commercial providers into national security space missions have created unprecedented opportunities for innovation, scalability, and operational agility. At the same time, these developments have expanded the cyber attack surface available to adversaries and increased the potential for supply chain compromise, mission disruption, and cascading operational effects across the broader space enterprise. The article discusses key initiatives designed to strengthen cybersecurity across the S-DIB, including the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC), Zero Trust Architecture, cyber threat information sharing, Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs), and the Space Attack Research and Tactic Analysis (SPARTA) framework. It also highlights the challenges associated with rapidly scaling production, uneven cybersecurity maturity among industry partners, and persistent workforce shortages. The perspective concludes that cybersecurity must be treated as a mission assurance function rather than simply an information technology requirement, requiring shared responsibility, collective risk management, and consistent security standards across the entire space enterprise.
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doi.org/10.55682/cdr/4bjf-rf8e
The Cyber Defense Review
Volume 11, Issue 2