Don’t allow US to weaponise space: From Reagan’s ‘Star Wars’ to Trump’s space weapons push

What was once just an idea in Ronald Reagan's imagination - his proposed space-based missile defence system, nicknamed 'Star Wars' - is now real. Last week, the US said it had placed weapons in space. No details were given beyond this rare admission. But it has reignited fears of weaponising space. Moscow and Beijing have called on Washington to stop. It will likely fall on deaf ears. Outer space is another of Trump's MAGA ideas.

The creation of the US Space Force in 2019, to counter Chinese and Russian 'sophisticated counterspace capabilities' intended to 'disrupt and degrade US space capabilities', was part of that push. Air Force secretary Troy Meink has made it clear there is no turning back.

Also Read: America brings space warfare into the open. Where does India stand?


Sputnik's launch sparked the US-USSR space race, amid fears of the militarisation of space capabilities. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty put the brakes on this, forbidding the deployment of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction in orbit. Conventional weapons, however, were another matter. The USSR is history, but geopolitical rivalries are not. The arsenal has grown too, including lasers and microwave tech capable of rendering 'enemy' satellites dysfunctional. Outer space is a far more crowded place than it was in the 1960s or 1980s, with more than 18,000 operational satellites, most serving peaceful purposes. More targets means more potential collateral damage.

With at least 120 conflicts underway on Earth, taking the fight into outer space is ill-advised. Beyond disruption and damage, the required investment is staggering. And it will mean even less funding for existential problems on Earth. The UN needs to step in, or the weaponisation of space could well become the ultimate manifestation of M.A.D.