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Defensive Weapons will be Countered by Offensive Weapons, Sparking an Arms Race

 

The realisation of the increasing vulnerability of the United States to attacks against space assets has caused some to encourage Washington to begin to deploy defensive weapon systems to protect those assets from new weapons. While this could appear to make sense on a visceral or superficial level, a thoughtful analysis of the history of military development reveals basic flaws with this notion. Most importantly, history categorically demonstrates that effective defensive weapon systems will inevitably be countered by effective offensive systems, sparking an ever-spiralling arms race that ultimately leaves all sides less secure. ( More ... )

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Graham, Thomas. "International Law and the Military Uses of Space." Disarmament Diplomacy. No. 63 (March-April 2002). [ 1 reference ]

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