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Nardon, Laurence. Space Situational Awareness and International Policy. Paris, France: Institut Francais des Relations Internationales, October 2007. [ 4 quotes ]

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Space Situational Awareness is a Necessary Component of Code of Conduct and Confidence Building Measures
 
Although they come from a different perspective, tenants of space disarmament have adopted SSA as a major tool to enable a continuing peaceful use of space. This is based on the notion that information sharing and transparency constitute the basis of international trust. Sharing SSA capacities would work toward confidence-building.

The Henry L. Stimson Center is a Washington-based research center with an agenda to reduce threats to international stability. It supports the adoption of an international Code of conduct in space. Similar to the "Incidents at Sea Agreement" signed in 1972 by the U.S. and the USSR, it would organize for instance the sharing of information on launches and space maneuvers, in order to eliminate all risk that unexpected moves be mistaken for an hostile action or cause unwanted collisions. A degree of trust and non-aggression in outer space would allow nations to feel secure and give up the deployment of further military space means. A Code of conduct is less formal than a treaty and therefore easier to push through international bodies such as the Conference on Disarmament (CD) in Geneva.

The Stimson Center set up a group of international experts in 2006-2007 to draft a Code and now plans to present it to the government of different space-faring nations. SSA systems constitute an essential element in the functioning process of the "Code of Conduct for Responsible Space-Faring Nations", as it is currently drafted. It mentions "the responsibility of countries to enhance cooperation on Space Situational Awareness", in order to "develop and abide by rules of safe space operations and traffic management".
Nardon, Laurence. Space Situational Awareness and International Policy. Paris, France: Institut Francais des Relations Internationales, October 2007. [ 4 quotes ] [ page 3 ]
Current Composition of US SSA Capabilities
 
The current Space Surveillance Network (SSN) operated by the USAF Space Command consists of 25-30 ground stations operating radars and telescopes. The AFSPC maintains a catalogue of more than 10,000 man-made items that are currently tracked. The plan is to get that figure up to 30,000-40,000 in coming years.7 This allows the U.S. government to monitor what type of public information is available. Indeed, access to the SSN network information was restricted in 2004. Today, a Yahoo search on the words "real time satellite tracking" will lead to a website engineered by American radio amateurs that presents and tracks satellites based on their radio signature. All countries' satellites are listed, including the French Helios and Essaim and the German SarLupe. U.S. military satellites are presented as well. However, no detailed information is available on U.S. most sensitive satellites operated by the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO).
Nardon, Laurence. Space Situational Awareness and International Policy. Paris, France: Institut Francais des Relations Internationales, October 2007. [ 4 quotes ] [ page 4 ]
European Countries often in the Dark because of Lack of SSA
 
Lack of SSA means has often left European countries in the dark. For instance, in 1996, the French experimental satellite Cerise was hit by a piece of debris from an Ariane 4 rocket that had been launched ten years earlier. A British radar first noticed the hit that was later confirmed by U.S. SSA means. France never had a chance to check the information independently. Since then, France has developed a radar system called Graves (Grand Réseau Adapté à la Veille Spatiale, i.e. large network adapted to space monitoring). It is a demonstrator owned by the French Air Force and operational since 2005. Graves can watch the sky up to 1,000 km above the French territory. It is rumored that Graves did witness the Chinese asat test of January 2007. Specifically, Graves could have seen a missile closing in on the Chinese meteorology satellite and, at the next pass, a cloud of debris where the satellite used to be.
Nardon, Laurence. Space Situational Awareness and International Policy. Paris, France: Institut Francais des Relations Internationales, October 2007. [ 4 quotes ] [ page 4 ]
Independent SSA would Give Europe Capacity to Monitor Space Arms Control Compliance
 
Self-standing SSA means would certainly alter the transatlantic relationship by modifying defense attitudes in Europe. Experts claim SSA would provide European countries with a capacity of space deterrence. The French High Council for Defense (Conseil Supérieur de Défense, CSD) declares that extended space surveillance capabilities would allow France to know in real time what or who has attacked one of its satellites, let the attacking country know that it has been found out and adopt retaliatory measures. CSD assumes this would deter such attacks in the first place. This in turn would allow France to forgo deployment of further weapons in space. Also, SSA would give Europeans independent means to verify compliance to an international Code of Conduct for Space, should such a text be adopted in future years. Indeed CSD proposes that France extends its current limited LEO (Low Earth Orbit) surveillance means to GEO (GEosynchronous Orbit).
Nardon, Laurence. Space Situational Awareness and International Policy. Paris, France: Institut Francais des Relations Internationales, October 2007. [ 4 quotes ] [ page 4-5 ]