Weapons in Space
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Abstract
importance of space based essentially on several principles. They represent a national consensus on space policy and strategy that extends now over half a century. They are as follows: • Space is essential to national security; • Space should be open to peaceful uses by all nations for the benefit of all humanity; • " Peaceful uses " includes U.S. defense-and intelligence-related activities; • Military superiority in space by another nation would be a direct military threat to the United States; • We reject any claims to sovereignty by other nations over outer space or celestial bodies; and • The United States considers space systems to have the rights of passage through space and operations in space without interference. This is comparable to the right to innocent passage in peacetime across the world's oceans in international waters. Just as we need navies to enforce freedom of the seas, we need to be able to exert space control. In this new century, those who effectively utilize space will enjoy added prosperity and security and will hold a substantial advantage over those who