Does the United States Need Space-Based Weapons?

<p>The U.S. Air Force is said to be evolving into an Air and Space Force on its way to becoming a Space and Air Force. Part of this transition includes the possibility of deploying weapons in space. While much has been written about the need for weapons in space or conversely the need to keep space as a sanctuary little has been published about what space-based weapons can and cannot bring to the battlefield. A decision to put weapons in space or to refrain from doing so should be based on a firm foundation of knowledge about what the weapons can be expected to do. Numerous concepts have been advocated as natural evolutions of surface and airborne weapons; it is critical to examine how these orbital weapons compare with their terrestrial counterparts. This essay evaluates the theoretical capabilities of orbital weapons and compares them to weapons already in existence and concepts proposed for development. The objective of this essay is to provide insight into wherefuture investments should be made if the United States is to protect its increasingly important space-based assets and retain its position as a global leader able to project military power wherever necessary.</p><p>This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore you will see the original copyright references library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world) and other notations in the work.</p><p>This work is in the public domain in the United States of America and possibly other nations. Within the United States you may freely copy and distribute this work as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.</p><p>As a reproduction of a historical artifact this work may contain missing or blurred pages poor pictures errant marks etc. Scholars believe and we concur that this work is important enough to be preserved reproduced and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.</p>