Wild Ride

In 2002 the forward-leaning Marines officially documented a need to transport "small numbers of combat Marines...at sufficient speed to ensure the relevance of global terrestrial force projection at the earliest stages of conflict." They have stated the desire to use space as the transport medium. With certain technological advances, the space domain may provide the solution, perhaps the only solution, for this USMC transportation requirement. Although achieving a viable, responsive troop space transportation option comes with significant challenges, the US Air Force as the lead service for space should invest in capabilities that will both satisfy the stated Marine Corps need and make possible other missions that would benefit from fast, low-cost, reliable space transportation.