Space Weapons: Crossing the U.S. Rubicon

Within the next several years, the United States plans to significantly increase its military activities in space, including the deployment of space-based weapons and defenses. Bruce DeBlois of BAE SYSTEMS, Richard Garwin of IBM, Scott Kemp of Princeton University, and Jeremy Marwell of New York University compare the potential utility of such space-related activities with other means to accomplish the same objectives. The authors conclude that the utility of space weapons to protect U.S. satellites, establish control of space, and project global force projection is constrained by three principal factors: “high cost, considerable susceptibility to countermeasures, and the availability of cheaper, more effective alternatives.” Based on these findings, they suggest that U.S. national security interests would be better served by an international regime that bans space weapons.