Space & Missile Defense Project

Although the United States is the dominant player in space, a growing number of countries are accessing space for both military and commercial purposes, challenging U.S. preeminence. The exponential growth in U.S. utilization of space in the successive conflicts of Desert Storm, Kosovo, and the current campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq underscores both the importance and expanding applications of space assets for military operations. Given that it is confronted with the rapid proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles, the United States must give heightened priority to space applications in U.S. national security planning.

 

This year-long study will undertake a net assessment of space and U.S. national security, including space-based defenses; develop three models that embody scenarios about the utilization of space; examine the ease/difficulty of operating missile defenses including space-based defenses; and based on the net assessment, produce a report setting forth the key elements of a space strategy. The study will also include analysis of:

• The ongoing proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and missiles to states and others hostile to the United States
• The role of space in U.S. security
• Arguments for and against increased utilization of space for national security
• Space-based missile defense in the emerging security environment
• The role (and limitations) of international accords such as the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) in preventing states from developing nuclear weapons and the Outer Space Treaty in restricting the uses of space
• Proposed legal regimes and other arrangements governing the future utilization of space for missile defense

The project includes a senior-level meeting and a congressional seminar in Washington, D.C., a final report, and briefings/presentations to U.S. officials, key decision makers, and members of Congress. A key goal is to provide the executive branch, Congress, state and local governments, key research institutions, academia, and the media, as well the broader public with a heightened understanding of U.S. space policies and programs and their importance to the national security and economic interests of the United States.

 

For more information, contact Robert L. Pfaltzgraff, Jr., rlp@ifpa.org
617-492-2116