Critics of ASATs frequently maintain that satellite destruction would be "escalatory," implying that such actions will take the confrontation to new levels of horror and cause the United States' enemies to exploit its vulnerabilites in space. This depiction of satellite warfare was reinforced in the Clinton Pentagon by conscious reference to "tactical" space control, implying that the deliberate destruction of satellites escalates the level of engagement to "strategic." We have all grown accustomed, after all, to understanding the dire consequences of "strategic confrontation." Yet ASAT weapons do not approach strategic nuclear weapons in their destructive power or indiscriminate effects. Stigmatizing ASATs ("ASATs = Armageddon") obscures the fact that counterspace operations can be very precise, highly discriminate, and locally nonlethal. Far from being "precipitous," satellite destruction could prove to be the most rational and militarily effective course of action for our leaders to take in some situations.

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Lambakis, Steven. On the Edge of Earth: The Future of American Space Power. Lexington, KY: University Press of Kentucky, 2001. [ 5 quotes ] [ page 245 ]