New U.S. space policy strong on military activity

Washington's new space policy focuses on military capabilities, including rejecting limitations by arms control agreements, entrenching missile defence systems and asserting its right to deny such access to its enemies.

Most of the provisions and directives in the policy, released on Oct. 6, are stated in reference to United States domestic security and national interests.

"Freedom of action in space is as important to the United States as air power and sea power," reads the policy document, which was approved by U.S. President George W. Bush on Aug. 31.

"The United States will oppose the development of new legal regimes or other restrictions that seek to prohibit or limit U.S. access to or use of space," the policy says.

"Proposed arms control agreements or restrictions must not impair the rights of the United States to conduct research, development testing and operations or other activities in space for U.S. national interests."

The policy directs the U.S. secretary of defence to "provide space capabilities to support continuous, global, strategic and tactical warning as well as multi-layered and integrated missiles defenses."

It further instructs the defence secretary to "develop capabilities, plans and options to ensure freedom of action in space, and, if directed, deny such freedom of action to adversaries."

Guns in the sky

Although the policy does not specifically mention the weaponization of space, it makes clear that the United States will not brook any hindrances in any sphere of its activities there.

Word came out earlier in the year that the Pentagon was seeking millions of dollars in funding from U.S. Congress to develop space-based weapons.

In April 2005, a panel of experts Federation of American Scientists recommended against putting weapons in space.

"The Panel unanimously concluded that it was not in the security interests of the United States to place weapons in space in the next five years," reads the report, titled Ensuring America's Space Security.

In January 2001, a report by a U.S. defence department commission on space and national security advocated the development of capabilities that have been interpreted by some observers as a call to make and deploy space-based weapons.

"The U.S. must develop the means both to deter and to defend against hostile acts in and from space," stated the report of the Commission to Assess United States National Security Space Management and Organization.

Weaponization of space banned under international law

International law and treaties prohibit the large-scale weaponization of space.

"Parties to the Treaty undertake not to place in orbit around the earth any objects carrying nuclear weapons or any other kinds of weapons of mass destruction, install such weapons on celestial bodies, or station such weapons in outer space in any other manner," reads a provision in UN resolution 2222, which governs the use of space.

In Canada, a document leaked in January showed that the former Liberal government of Paul Martin would have sought an international space weapons ban.