Space without Weapons

The whole world now relies on outer space for important security and development purposes such as meteorology, environmental monitoring and disaster prevention, communications, education, entertainment and treaty verification.

There are already a number of international treaties and instruments with jurisdiction over space activities, but they do not adequately cover the challenges posed by space-based weapons and BMD. In particular, though some prohibit or restrict the deployment of weapons or use of force in outer space, the provisions are limited in scope and coverage. Moreover, none of the existing legal instruments unequivocally prevents the testing, deployment and use of weapons other than nuclear, chemical and biological, in outer space. Nor does any relevant legal instrument cover the use of force or threat of use of force against a country's assets in outer space. The placement of nuclear weapons in space is prohibited under the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, but nuclear-warheads on BMD interceptors launched from the ground into space are not prohibited.

As US policies and administration statements have heightened concerns about the weaponisation of outer space, first civil society and now several states have put forward proposals for making progress on this issue, some of which are available below.

Latest Additions

US and Russian Public Opinion on Arms Control and Space Security, Nancy Gallagher, Disarmament Diplomacy No.87, Spring 2008
Space War, the Logical Next Mistake for US Exceptionalism, Mike Moore, Disarmament Diplomacy No.87, Spring 2008
Draft Text on the Placement of Weapons in Outer Space submitted by Russia and China, 13 February 2008
Threat of Weaponisation, by Rebecca Johnson, CONGO Forum on Civil Society and Outer Space: "Where do we stand on using outer space for peaceful purposes?" Vienna, October 8-9, 2007

Europe's Space Policies and their relevance to the EU's Security and Defence Policy (ESDP)

The following study, written by Rebecca Johnson on behalf of the Acronym Institute and ISIS-Europe, with research assistance from Stephen Pullinger and Aline Dewaele, was commissioned in 2006 by the European Parliament Directorate-General for External Policies of the Union.

"The study analyses Europe's space programmes and argues for an effective European Space Policy to manage the civil-military interface and national-regional interests to enable Europe to benefit from a more effective coordination of technologies and assets for the purpose of enhancing European and international security, while preventing destabilising developments, such as the testing, deployment or use of anti-satellite weapons or weapons in and from space.

Europe's Space Policies and their relevance to ESDP, by Rebecca Johnson, published by the EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, Directorate-General for External Policies of the Union, June 19, 2006.

Articles and Publications

Safeguarding Space Security: missile defence and the challenge for Europe, by Dr Rebecca Johnson, for the e-Parliament Conference on Space Security, Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC, September 14, 2005.
Notes of presentation at UNIDIR Seminar, by Dr Rebecca Johnson, March 31, 2006
Safeguarding Space: Building Cooperative Norms to Dampen Negative Trends, by Theresa Hitchens, Disarmament Diplomacy, Issue No.81, Winter 2005
Books in Review: An International Law Perspective on Common Security in Outer Space, by Detlev Wolter, Disarmament Diplomacy, Issue No.81, Winter 2005
PAROS discussions at the 2004 UN First Committee, by Rebecca Johnson, October 20, 2004.
A Model Code of Conduct for Space Assurance, by Michael Krepon and Michael Heller, Disarmament Diplomacy, Issue No.77, May/June 2004.
Ballistic Missile Defence and the Weaponisation of Space, by Rebecca Johnson, September 2003
Security without weapons in space: challenges and options, Rebecca Johnson, UN Institute for Disarmament Research, (Disarmament Forum, March 2003)
Missile Defence and the Weaponisation of Space, Rebecca Johnson, ISIS Policy Paper No. 11, January 2003.
Stuck on the Launch Pad? The Ballistic Missile Code of Conduct Opens for Business, by Mark Smith, December 2002 - January 2003.
Anti-Satellite Capabilities of Planned US Missile Defence Systems , by David Wright and Laura Grego, December 2002 - January 2003.
US Space Policy: Time to Stop and Think, by Theresa Hitchens, October - November 2002.
Anniversary of Outer Space Treaty: Remarks by Jayantha Dhanapala, October 14.
Post 9/11: Missile threats and responses, by Rebecca Johnson. Notes for Presentation at UN Department for Disarmament Affairs Seminar Impact of 11 September 2001 on a Disarmament Agenda in the 21st Century, October 3, 2002.
How to move forward: NGO Approaches and Initiatives for addressing Space Security, by Rebecca Johnson. This paper was published in James Clay Moltz (ed), Future Security in Space: Commercial, Military, and Arms Control Trade-Offs, Monterey Institute Center for Nonproliferation Studies and Mountbatten Centre for International Studies, Occasional Paper No. 10 (July 2002).
Drawing the Line: the Path to Controlling Weapons in Space, by Philip E. Coyle and John B. Rhinelander, September 2002.
International Law and the Military Uses of Space, by Ambassador Thomas Graham, March - April 2002
Multilateral Approaches to Preventing the Weaponisation of Space by Rebecca Johnson, Disarmament Diplomacy No.56, April 2001
Space & National Security: US Policy Initiative, May 2001

Official Documents

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