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Pre-Emptive Strikes on Early Warning Assets Invites Nuclear Escalation

 

U.S. space warriors now have a doctrine and plans for counterspace operations, but they do not have a credible plan to stop inadvertent or uncontrolled escalation once the shooting starts. Like U.S. war-fighting scenarios, there is a huge chasm between plans and consequences, in which requirements for escalation dominance make uncontrolled escalation far more likely. A pre-emptive strike in space on a nation that possesses nuclear weapons would invite the gravest possible consequences. Attacks on satellites that provide early warning and other critical military support functions would most likely be viewed either as a surrogate or as a prelude to attacks on nuclear forces.

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Krepon, Michael. "Weapons in the Heavens: A Radical and Reckless Option." Arms Control Today. (November 2004). [ 1 reference ]

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