Outer Space: From Sanctuary to Warfighting Domain?

The article focuses on the evolution of space security doctrines and the challenges of space arms control since the beginning of the Space Age. It outlines how early aspirations by the USSR and the United States to non-militarize outer space only partially materialized, with weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) prohibited in space but other military activities allowed, leading to incremental militarization, especially through integration of space systems into warfighting and ballistic missile defense (BMD) capabilities. The proliferation of Anti-Satellite Weapons (ASATs) and divergent national interests have stalled formal arms control efforts, such as the Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space (PAROS) initiative, while a voluntary moratorium against debris-generating ASAT tests has emerged among major space powers. The article concludes that future conflicts in space are more likely to be electronic or cyber in nature, but rising strategies emphasizing deterrence and superiority risk escalating an arms race and potential full-scale conflict, underscoring the need for self-restraint and renewed cooperation in space arms control.