Among the extraordinary powers that the United States now enjoys is the power to shape the agenda for the use of space in the twenty-first century. If Washington seeks to extend its military dominance by flight-testing and deploying space weaponry, other capitals would surely follow suit. They would not do so in as sophisticated or as expensive a manner, but they will compete as best they can. If, on the other hand, the United States refrains from embarking on a course to weaponize space, there are no guarantees that others will exercise similar restraint. Potential adversaries will, however, have less incentive to do so, since Washington can compete effectively in space warfare, even if it does not benefit from it. Neither would weaker states, since the use of ASATs would complicate, but not alter, U.S. terrestrial military dominance. Weak states are more likely to carry out sneak attacks against the United States in our cities, our ports, and wherever the American flag is flown abroad, than to engage in space warfare.

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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 125 ]