GPS News  
Economic Impact Of Arms Race In Space

The report calls for changes in the policy of space dominance, greater transparency in military space spending, and detailed information about government and commercial space activities.
by Staff Writers
Superior CO (SPX) Nov 04, 2008
The present U.S. policy of space dominance could transform outer space into a military battleground points out a just-issued report from Economists for Peace and Security. The report, Space, Security and the Economy, focuses on the Bush administration's outer space policy that asserts the right to deny any nation access to space if its actions are "perceived" to be hostile.

This policy, the report explains -- together with other actions such as withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty and the ongoing development of weapons intended to attack objects in space -- could lead to the deployment of weapons in space. Furthermore, if the U.S. positions weapons in space, other nations are likely to pursue the same action and spur an arms race in space.

No one, the report concludes, can prevail...and all stand to lose in an arms race in space.

Impact on U.S. economy
The newly issued report is sponsored by the Arsenault Family Foundation. This report is both highly significant and timely, noted Cynda Collins Arsenault, President of the Secure World Foundation.

"Understanding the key role that space already plays in our lives, as well as its impact on our economy, is a first step in working towards developing solutions for the secure and sustainable use of space," Arsenault said. "We can no longer seek solutions in isolation in our interconnected world but must rely on globally agreed upon measures."

Space, Security and the Economy underscores other negative consequences from an arms race in space, such as impacting the scientific and commercial uses of space. In particular, private investors are unlikely to place additional resources at risk in a vulnerable area of potential military conflict, the report observes.

The report calls for changes in the policy of space dominance, greater transparency in military space spending, and detailed information about government and commercial space activities.

Among other consequences would be negative effects on the economy and the growing scientific and commercial uses of space. In particular, private investors are unlikely to place additional resources at risk in a vulnerable area of potential military conflict.

Greater transparency needed
The report by Economists for Peace and Security (EPS) calls for changes in the policy of space dominance, greater transparency in military space spending, and detailed information about government and commercial space activities.

Space, Security and the Economy is co-authored by Richard Kaufman, a member of the board of directors and a vice chair of Economists for Peace and Security; Jeffrey G. Lewis, Director of the Nuclear Strategy and Nonproliferation Initiative at the New America Foundation; and Dr. Henry Hertzfeld, a Senior Research Scientist at the Space Policy Institute of the Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University.

Areas discussed in this new report include: military and commercial uses of space, military budget trends and key technologies, problems in tracking military space spending, as well as trends and developing patterns in the space economy.

Economists for Peace and Security is an organization of economists, other social scientists, and citizens concerned about issues of peace, conflict, war, and the world economy.

Related Links
View the report
Economists for Peace and Security (EPS)
Secure World Foundation
Military Space News at SpaceWar.com



Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News


The Historic Beginnings Of The Space Arms Race
Moscow (RIA Novosti) Nov 03, 2008
On November 1, 1963, the Polyot-1 spacecraft, the first satellite capable of maneuvering in orbit, was launched from the Tyura-Tam firing range, now called the Baikonur Space Center, in Kazakhstan. Polyot-1, which was also capable of changing its altitude and orbital inclination, was, in fact, a prototype anti-satellite weapon (ASAT) system called Istrebitel Sputnikov (interceptor of satellites).







  • Aviation giants look to China amid global turbulence
  • Boeing sees China buying 3,710 planes over next 20 years
  • New EU CO2 caps anger airlines
  • Energy Department has high school contest

  • EU nations agree to push back CO2 auto limits to 2015
  • Car-crazy Germany plans tax relief for 'green' automobiles
  • Road Test For Vehicle-To-Vehicle Communication
  • GEM Electric Cars Help Charlotte Residents Jump The Pump

  • USAF Tests Battlespace Information Solution On AC-130 Gunship
  • Harris Awarded Contract For USAF Satellite Control Network Program
  • LockMart Delivers Key Hardware For US Navy's Mobile User Objective System
  • Boeing JTRS GMR Engineering Model Enters New Test Phase

  • Russia Conducts CIS Wide Integrated Air Defense Exercise
  • US missile chief concerned by delays to Polish base accord
  • New Missile Warning Satellite Completes Rigorous Environmental Testing
  • Czech govt wants vote on missile shield after US election

  • China livestock feed safe but problems remain: minister
  • China to tighten control of feed industry: state media
  • Nestle invests further in China
  • China says nearly 2,400 babies in hospital after drinking tainted milk

  • Netherlands to simulate massive flood rescue
  • Aftershock rattles Pakistan as disease spreads among survivors
  • 20 dead, 42 missing in southwest China landslides: state media
  • Fears of more deaths as Pakistan quake victims await aid

  • Intelsat Retires The Oldest Commercial CommSat
  • Kazakh Satellite Brought Back Into Orbit
  • The Sky Isn't Falling And That's A Problem
  • Sarantel Antenna Featured In New Iridium 9555 Satellite Phone

  • Cliffbot Goes Climbing
  • VIPeR Robot Demonstrates Exceptional Agility
  • iRobot Receives Order From TARDEC For iRobot Warrior 700
  • iRobot Awarded US Army Contract For Robotic Systems

  • The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright Space.TV Corporation. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space.TV Corp on any Web page published or hosted by Space.TV Corp. Privacy Statement