sources to develop a reduced density channel, thereby enhancing particle beam .. 5) propagation. ’ Such possibilities would have significant impact upon existing treaties between the United States and the Soviet Union on the limitation of anti-ballistic missile systems. Signed parties have agreed not to develop, test, or deploy ABM systems or components that are sea-based, air-based, space-based, or mobile land-based. However, suggestions have been made that aspects of the ABM Interim Agreements and Agreed Interpretations, can be interpreted ambiguously, perhaps allowing research, development, and proof testing of space-based ABM systems, short of actual deployment. Defensive/Offensive Use of Space Space lawyer Andrew Haley once stated/^ ...a nation is justified in protecting itself from attack no matter where the staging area of the attack may be, including on the high seas or in outer space, and a nation may carry its defensive forces to such areas. The great unresolved problem, so far as defensive measures in space are concerned, is to translate the general recognition of this right of self-defense into some workable criteria for distinguishing between the defensive and offensive uses of space. The fear of a technological, space-based "Pearl Harbor" has been reiterated in military literature. According to General Jacob Smart (retired)/?) Despite wishful thinking to the contrary, man is and promises to remain an aggressive, combative creature. We fear, we hate, we fight one another. Until we remove causes of fear and hatred and correct the conditions which prompt us to arm ourselves, we have no choice but to prepare to defend ourselves against attack in whatever form and through whatever media attacks may come. Today and henceforth, the United States must be prepared to defend itself against aggression in space and from space. We cannot surrender the "high ground" without contest. Justifications for Military Activity in Space Recent official speeches' ' clarify current justification of the U.S. military involvement in the space medium. These are: • Uniqueness - some functions essentially can only be done from space, such as near real-time warning of a ballistic missile attack • Economics - some functions are more cheaply done from space, such as long-haul communications • Function effectiveness - some functions are more effectively done from space, like meteorology • Force effectiveness enhancement - some space functions can greatly enhance the effectiveness of terre s tr i a I forces.
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