Abstract
Official US space policy has remained relatively consistent over the last 60 years. Beginning with Eisenhower, every administration has stressed international cooperation, peaceful intention, and development of outer space for the common good of all humankind. Significantly, every policy has also reserved the right of self-defense in space. In practice, the United States has interpreted these policy constants, particularly regarding military activity, quite broadly. The 2017 National Security Strategy (NSS) made a notable and historically unique public change in emphasis, however. In his preface, President Donald Trump declared that “we are charting a new and very different course” consistent with a larger international policy of “America First.” This chapter describes continuity and change in space policy over the last 60 years, summarizes the current administrations space directives, and discusses current proposals for a separate military space force within the U.S. Department of Defense.
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Dolman, E.C. (2019). War, Policy, and Spacepower: US Space Security Priorities. In: Handbook of Space Security. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-22786-9_124-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-22786-9_124-1
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