This paper examines an emerging vulnerability in U.S. defense architecture created by the absence of a persistent operational layer in the near-space band between conventional airspace and orbit (approximately 60,000–330,000 feet).
Using the Defense Intelligence Agency’s 2025 Worldwide Threat Assessment as a primary lens, combined with internal force-structure analysis of the U.S. Air Force and open-source reporting on Chinese and Russian doctrine, it argues that the United States has evolved a vertically brittle C5ISR stack: dense sensing and infrastructure on the surface, exquisite but targetable constellations in space, and a structurally under-instrumented “space littoral” in between.
Adversaries are explicitly coding against this gap, treating the stratosphere and lower thermosphere as a penetration corridor, ISR layer, and weapons employment zone for missiles, unmanned systems, and counter-space operations.
The analysis advances two main contributions. First, it formalizes atmospheric command as a design requirement for resilient, multi-domain kill chains rather than a niche adjunct to air and space operations.
Second, it proposes a stratospheric, software-defined layer built from proliferated hybrid heavier-than-air and lighter-than-air platforms (exemplified by the Deimos-One HALO concept) as an economically and operationally viable means to close the vertical seam.
Representative mission mappings are developed for:
- Counter-UxS and cruise or hypersonic missile sensing;
- Resilience under partial loss of orbital assets;
- Homeland and border security against cartel and terrorist logistics; and
- Global trade protection at maritime chokepoints.
An appendix outlines forward-leaning research vectors, including atmospheric shaping, non-kinetic effectors, electromagnetic deception, and stratospheric kill-aid staging, conditional on the prior fielding of a persistent near-space mesh.
The central claim is that without a dedicated stratospheric layer, U.S. deterrence and defense remain contingent on a single fragile axis: continued, uncontested access to space.
Deimos One Media Contact
Evie Sloan
Deimos-One
evie@deimosone.com
About Deimos-One
Deimos-One is a leading aerospace and defense technology company, pioneering human and robotic spaceflight and space exploration for individuals and researchers, as well as a designer and developer of the world’s most advanced autonomous space vehicles. The company is developing a stratospheric observation platform designed to support complex missions in near-space environments. To learn more, visit www.deimosone.com