New report by Council on Foreign Relations calls for ban on anti-satellite weapons

The Council on Foreign Relations has issued a Task Force report, titled U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy, which focuses on "near-term policies to reduce nuclear weapons to the lowest possible level consistent with maintaining a credible deterrent, while also ensuring that the U.S. nuclear arsenal is safe, secure, and reliable for as long as it is needed." The report also calls for a ban on anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons.

On page 4 of the Executive Summary, "The report proposes a ban on the testing of antisatellite weapons, which should include Russia and eventually be globally applicable." In the main text of the report, however, "kinetic ASATs" are specifically mentioned.

The Task Force was chaired by William J. Perry (Professor, Stanford University), Brent Scowcroft (Resident Trustee, The Forum for International Policy) and was directed by Charles D. Ferguson (Philip D. Reed Senior Fellow for Science and Technology). Membership included a broad selection of well-respected experts (list available from link above).