Space arms control language from the Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States

The final report of the Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States has been released. The Executive Summary is available here.

Excerpts from the report of particular interest to Secure World Foundation:

On space arms control:
"As part of its work, the Commission surveyed other arms control issues. Two further proposed measures require discussion here. The first is arms control in space. Russia and China are keenly interested in such control, not least because they hope that such measures can be used to limit U.S. missile defenses. The Bush Administration took a strong stance against it. This is an issue that will not disappear. The strong dependence of U.S. conventional military forces on space-based communications and sensors makes this an issue of great and continuing importance. There are other serious civilian issues such as space situational awareness, space debris, and space traffic management [emphasis added] that could be used to develop international discussion and working relationships.

The actual promise of space arms control is unclear. In the Commission’s view, the United States should seriously study these issues and prepare to lead an international debate about how to craft a control regime in space [emphasis added] that serves its national security interests and the broader interests of the international community."

With related recommendations:
-- Develop and pursue options for advancing U.S. interests in stability in outer space and in increasing warning and decision-time. The options should include the possibility of negotiated measures.

-- Take the lead in renewing strategic dialogue with a broad set of states interested in strategic stability, including not just Russia and China but also U.S. allies in both Europe and Asia.