Kyl offers second opinion on space ‘weaponization’

(Washington, D.C.):   Following two weeks of confusion bordering on panic displayed by American officials in the wake of Communist China’s successful demonstration of its anti-satellite (ASAT) prowess, one of the Senate’s leading national security lights – Arizona Republican Jon Kyl – has injected some much-needed wisdom into the debate.   In a powerful speech and presentation earlier today, Senator Kyl explained that the ability to utilize space is vital to U.S. national and economic security, and that it would be folly to believe arms control agreements can protect these interests.

With his characteristic clarity, Sen. Kyl exposed calls for prohibitions on the "weaponization of space" as a snare-and-delusion aimed at eroding U.S. dominance of space.  "The distinctions made by the opponents of space security," Sen. Kyl observed, "are untenable.   We live in a world where space is already militarized and it is impossible to prevent weapons from access to space."   [More] He points to specific instances upon which the arms-controllers’ argument falls apart:

• They make an artificial distinction between weapons based in space and weapons that transit through space, such as ICBMs.  
• They distinguish between weapons guided by satellites and those released from satellites, although there is no practical difference, especially, as Sen. Kyl notes, for those on the receiving end of either type of weapon.   They distinguish between offensive and defensive ASAT technology, although the dual-use nature of such equipment provides situational awareness that can inherently be used to avoid and launch attacks.

Unfortunately, there exists a fundamental – and perhaps willful – misunderstanding of this state of play, even by many in the U.S. government.   For example, a State Department spokesman responded to the PRC’s January 11 test by stating, "We don’t want to see a situation where there is any militarization of space." (emphasis added)   As the Center for Security Policy warned in a policy paper released the same day, the United States cannot safely indulge in wishful thinking that its equities in space will remain inviolable indefinitely, any more than it can safely rely upon international agreements for their protection. 

Policymakers should heed Sen. Kyl’s call to reject ineffective, unenforceable and undesirable arms control agreements, and move to develop technologies able in time of war to exercise space control and in peacetime to assure "freedom of space."