A few articles and items of note:
The Marshall Institute has published a transcript of its January forum “Space Issues in 2007″, which took place not long after the Chinese ASAT test became big news. The transcript of the half-day event runs more than 50 pages, including some illustrations. The institute also recently published a brief analysis of military space programs and spending levels in the FY08 budget request.
The Stimson Center, meanwhile, has a commentary by Michael Krepon on a “space code of conduct”, an op-ed that also appeared in this week’s issue of Space News. Krepon takes on the five arguments the Bush administration has made against any kind of multilateral agreements that would restrict the use of space weapons of some kind—the lack of a “space arms race”, that arms control is “a vestige of the Cold War”, a lack of agreement on what constitutes a space weapon, the need of the US to preserve its right of self-defense, and an unwillingness to constrain freedom of action in space—and finds them lacking. “Saying ‘hell no’ to new multilateral agreements for space seems particularly questionable” after China’s ASAT test, he notes.
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