Space will inevitably be weaponized because it is a valuable strategic resource that countries will fight over.
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It is almost certain that sometime early in the 21st Century, the fielding of space-based weapons will occur under the auspices of defense, in much the same manner as the nuclear weapon buildup that occurred within the latter half of the 20th. And, like nuclear weapons, once fielded, there will be no reversing course. This too is an historical lesson of warfare. ( More ... ) Oberg, James. Space Power Theory. Maxwell AFB, AL: USAF Air University, 2001. [ 5 quotes ] [ page 150 ]
In explaining one motivation for countries to acquire nuclear weapons, Scott Sagan explains: 'bureaucratic actors are not passive recipients of top-down political decisions; instead, they create the conditions that favor weapons acquisition'. Today we find ourselves in a situation with an absence of clear top-down policy guidance on space weapons, and in such a case, military doctrine can build an inertia of its own, and impact -- or even become -- the default policy. ( More ... ) Deblois, Bruce M. "The Advent of Space Weapons." Astropolitics. Vol. 1, No. 1 (Summer 2003). [ 15 quotes ]
All modern states must assume that potential adversaries have studied the allied use of space-based resources in the Gulf War and the war on terrorism, and will seek to counter these military information resources by any means necessary. The allies could -- and, some would argue, already do -- face a symmetric threat to space resources from the global proliferation of space-based ISR, communications and navigation systems. The allies might also face a range of asymmetric attacks on space-related resources: physical and electronic attacks on space resources, lines of communication or ground segments; denial of services through electronic jamming; or deception by camouflage, spoofing or decoys. The space-based segments of military information assets are particularly vulnerable to attack by a range of weapons, including space-to-space and earth-to-space anti-satellite weapons. ( More ... ) Deblois, Bruce M. "The Advent of Space Weapons." Astropolitics. Vol. 1, No. 1 (Summer 2003). [ 15 quotes ]