13 June 2006
The Conference on Disarmament (CD) continued its focused debate on Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space (PAROS) at its June 13 plenary session, with a focus on Transparency and Confidence Building Measures (TCBMs). Presumably responding to Russia's June 8 call to states with military space technology “to refrain from any practical activities aimed to place weapon systems in outer space while the international agreement on non-weaponization of outer space is being elaborated,” the United States openly declared its right to continue to develop such weapons in the session. Pakistan, Cuba, China, Belarus, Italy, Ireland, Brazil, France, Russia, United States,Argentina, Sweden and Australia also took the floor.
“Full Spectrum Dominance”
The United States sent a State Department official to the CD to make its most overt defense of its right to develop space weapons to date. ”The high value of space systems has led the United States to study the potential of space-related weapons to protect our satellites from potential future attacks, whether from the surface or from other spacecraft. As long as the potential for such attacks remains, our Government will continue to consider the possible role that space-related weapons may play in protecting out assets,” said Deputy Office Director of Multilateral Nuclear and Security Affairs Division of the Department of State John Mohanco.
Although it continues to support the negotiation of its top priority, a Fissile Materials Cut-off Treaty, the United States was “more convinced than ever that issues relating to the supposed weaponization of space definitely do NOT have consensus” in the CD.
Cuba noted that this lack of consensus may not be terribly strong, as only the United States and Israel voted against the resolution on PAROS adopted by the First Committee of the General Assembly (A/RES/60/54) in 2005. Although it usually abstains on this annual norm-building resolution, in 2005 the US led the first ever no votes on it against 180 states in favor. The United States was the sole no vote on the new resolution about transparency and confidence building measures in outer space (A/RES/60/66), against 178 states in favor.
The US stated that their opposition to any further arms control measures in outer space is because ”there is no – repeat, no- problem in outer space for arms control to solve.” They see the inability to define space weapons as the main barrier to discussing space weapons, although that did not prevent them from telling the conference they do not have nor plan to build such weapons.
Pakistan made a clear reference to the US Space Command's Vision for 2020 when Ambassador Khan stated, ”Military doctrines that seek full spectrum dominance projected through and from space are counterproductive and jeopardize the security of all humanity. Defense capability is legitimate but aspirations for impregnable defenses tend to undermine deterrence, and lead to new instruments of war and to arms race.”
Similar to US views on other weapons systems, “threats to the peaceful use of space... come not from the existence of military hardware, but from those who would disturb the peace”. The recently released Weapons of Mass Destruction Report, chaired by Hans Blix and written by weapons experts from around the world, insists weapons themselves are dangerous, in anyone's hands.
Transparency and Confidence Building Measures
The working paper submitted by China and the Russian Federation (CD/1678) on transparency and confidence building measures (TCBMs) was the basis for much of the discussion.
Several states noted the need for a step-by-step approach to transparency and confidence building. As Sweden stated, “an important step would be the full implementation of all existing CBMs (confidence building measures), for example those included in the 1975Registration Convention.”
Russia said, ”by its nature, confidence building is a phased process.” China agreed that ”TCBMs (transparency and confidence building measures) can serve as a starting point and supplement for negotiation and concluding an international legal instrument that prohibits the weaponization of and an arms race in outer space.”
Belarus contended that ”new CBMs in outer space, in the first place, should be aimed at further strengthening of already existing international legal tools in the field of space law.”
Ambassador Valery Loschinin from Russia explained the working paper in detail. Measures to create confidence and serve as a starting point for a future treaty include: the exchange of information about space programs; demonstrations of technologies and launch sites; notifications of launches and descents from orbit of outer space objects; consultations on research and programs; and thematic workshops on outer space research and use issues.
An expert from the Swedish Defense Research Agency made comments and further suggestions to the measures presented in the Chinese/Russian working paper. “Mechanisms for consultations would serve many essential purposes, as pointed out in the working paper. One simple measure to facilitate such consultations would be the appointment of national points of contact,” said Mr. Lars Hostbeck.
Ireland promoted the suggestions made by the recently released report of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission: notice of all space launches; unilateral declarations by states of not flight-test or deploy weapons in space; declaration of moratoria on production and testing anti-satellite weapons; and establishing the observation of a minimum exclusion zone around satellites. Italy, Russia, Belarus and Cuba also urged states with extensive space capacities to officially declare they will not be the first ones to place weapons in outer space.
States also discussed the step-by-step approach for verification. Russia and China, which prioritize PAROS, admitted that verification was a complicated issue and might be postponed. China stated, ”Due to the complex nature of verification of outer space activities, which bears on the security interest of all countries, as well as to technical and financial constraints of verification, currently it is extremely difficult to negotiate a verification provision. For the time being, to put on hold the verification issue until conditions are ripe, and to negotiate a treaty without verification provisions could be a practical alternative.” Russia concurred, ”Elaborating the treaty without verification measures, which could be added at a later stage, might be a preferable option. TCBMs could, for a certain period of time, compensate for the lack of verification measures in the new treaty.”
Brazil, Argentina and Pakistan exemplified confidence building measures by sharing details of their own space programs in their statements.
Cooperation
As at the last plenary meeting, states emphasized the importance of cooperation with other UN bodies, which was echoed today. Belaruswanted work on confidence building measures to be carried out in cooperation between General Assembly’s First and Fourth Committee, Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) and the CD. Sweden agreed that it is important to make sure the work among the CD, COPUOS and other relevant bodies will be mutually reinforcing and co-coordinated in order to avoid duplication or contradictory approaches.
”We believe that the dialogue between the various bodies with an interest in outer space should be enhanced” said Ambassador Carlo Trezza of Italy, and suggested inviting the Chairman of COPUOS to brief the CD on questions relevant to their work.
It would be useful if more states, particularly leaders, focused on cooperation rather than dominance. However, even with aggressive stances, there is still room for hope and some maneuvering among those working for compromise and progress in disarmament. The US indicated in its final paragraph that “delegations may continue to use this plenary to conduct in-depth reviews of all issues of interest to Member States, including outer space”.
The next plenary meeting will be held on Thursday 15 June.
-Jennifer Nordstrom, Reaching Critical Will and
Beatrice Fihn, Disarmament Intern
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom