If the United States develops and deploys space-based weapons for controlling space, self-interest dictates that other countries will follow suit. As with other technology, the great - est costs are normally incurred in the initial research and development (R&D) required to evolve a concept into a weapon. Once a new weapon has been deployed it is much easier, and less expensive, to observe the operational system, determine how it must operate, and then duplicate it. By doing this initial R&D, the United States will be paving the way for other nations to follow. The result may well be that assets which are now safe -- because no other nation has a pressing need to develop weapons to attack them -- will become vulnerable to attack because other nations will feel com - pelled to emulate the United States and deploy space-based weapons of their own.

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Spacy, William L. Does the United States Need Space-Based Weapons?. Maxwell AFB, AL: USAF Air University, September 1999. [ 11 quotes ] [ page 4-5 ]