The flight-testing and deployment of space weaponry has been inextricably linked to the dangers associated with weapons of mass destruction. The initial prohibitions on space weaponry, after all, were expressly tied to weapons of mass destruction. During the Cold War, space warfare was widely considered a harbinger of nuclear warfare, given the connectivity of satellites most likely to be attacked with the command, control, and targeting of nuclear forces. This linkage has not disappeared with the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the advent of extreme forms of asymmetric warfare and terrorism. States possessing nuclear weapons that might become adversaries to the United States could view U.S. initiatives to weaponize space as an attempt to negate their deterrents. Space-to-ground warfare initiatives to further extend U.S. military advantages could therefore prompt compensatory steps by weaker states, including the accelerated pursuit of unconventional weapons.

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Katz-Hyman, Michael and Michael Krepon. Assurance or Space Dominance? The Case Against Weaponizing Space. Washington, D.C.: Henry L. Stimson Center, April 2003. [ 16 quotes ] [ page 102 ]