Can Space Weaponization Be A Good Thing?

The weaponization of space has been a hot topic for many space cadets since the days of President Reagan and his Strategic Defense Initiative, an idea that would have put lasers in space as a means of defending against Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles. Despite the defensive nature of SDI, it could have led to a new arms race between the Soviet Union and the United States at a time when things were just about to cool down. In addition, it is argued that the technology needed for SDI would allow for the building and positioning of offensive lasers with the ability to attack a target while remaining out of range for retaliation by all but a few of countries. Sure there is an ideal, be it a hope, that international legislation could keep weapons out of space, but without sharp teeth what is to stop a country from breaking the rules as seen with North Korea's flagrant disregard for the Non Proliferation Treaty.

Without even getting into the argument of what a weapon is and how things not traditionally thought of as weapons could be used as such, look at militarization of a whole. Increased militarization of space by its very definition related resources by a country's military. In every country in the world, general military spending greatly out paces civilian space spending. Through encouraging militarization of space, it would lead to more resources going into general research and development of space technology. In fact, for most space faring countries, their civilian s leads to the increasing use and utility of spacepace program was either an outreach from a military space program or greatly benefited from the advancements made through military spending.

Before people say that militarization of space as a whole is bad, they should consider the positive effects it has had. Since the use of space faring satellites to help guide munitions, countries utilizing this technology are able to make more precision strikes on enemy combatants lowering the overall casualty levels during military action. In addition, weather, communication, and global positioning satellites have allowed for reduction in loss of troops to harsh climate and due to accidental fratricides. Militarization of space has also led to diplomacy rather than warfare through 1) the mixed use of reconnaissance satellites and saber rattling and 2) the mutuality assured destruction power of nuclear ICBMs leading to a cold war rather than an active one.

With this in mind, in order to best continue advances in space technology we must embrace the utility of military space applications and allow for duel use potential to benefit civilian space programs. Should a moratorium be placed on weapons in space it will without a doubt hinder the overall spending on space technology for the near future and possibly lead to increased military action and destruction in the distant future.