Michael Krepon gave a talk on “Anti-Satellite
Weapons, Deterrence and Sino-American Space Relations” at UC Berkeley on Thursday, February 6. For
more information on the event, click
here.
The United States and China are competing more intensely in
space and at sea. China has become the third country to explore the surface of
the moon, and aims for a human moon landing within a decade. Washington and
Beijing are also ramping up their military capabilities in space. Both will
become increasingly dependent on satellites and have demonstrated the ability
to damage or destroy them. What happens in the global commons is likely to
determine the future of Sino-American relations. The Obama administration is
ready to sign a code of conduct for responsible space-faring nations; Beijing
isn’t. Tangible cooperation would contribute to common understandings and thus
reduce the likelihood of misunderstandings and surprise. At the same time, both
sides are also likely to enhance their offensive and defensive capabilities to
seek military advantages as part of their overall space strategies. How much
will the United States and China cooperate in space? And how dangerously will
they compete?
Michael Krepon, the co-founder of the Stimson Center in Washington DC, will
discuss the opportunities and obstacles facing the US and China in outer space
over the next decade. He worked previously at the Carnegie Endowment, the State
Department, and on Capitol Hill. In addition to his recent
monograph-Anti-Satellite Weapons, Deterrence and Sino-American Space
Relations-that serves as the basis for this lecture, Krepon’s books include
Better Safe than Sorry: The Ironies of Living with the Bomb; Space Assurance or
Space Dominance: The Case Against Weaponizing Space; Open Skies, Arms Control
and Cooperative Security; Commercial Observation Satellites and International
Security; and Cooperative Threat Reduction, Missile Defense, and the Nuclear
Future. Krepon also has two weekly blog posts on www.armscontrolwonk.com.