Topic:
Country: United Kingdom
Delegate Name: Farrah Sayler
Militarization of outer space: Space has been militarized since the earliest communication satellites were launched. Today, militaries all over the world rely on satellites for command and control, communication, monitoring, early warning, and navigation with the Global Positioning System. The United Kingdom’s aim to protect critical space-based assets, both civilian and military, has therefore become a priority. Space is also increasingly viewed as a military domain in its own right, as countries look to utilize space to enhance their own military capabilities and security.
In July the UK ministry of Defense officially opened its first space headquarters. In the RAf high wycombe, a royal air force base. The moD has pledged to invest 1.4 British pounds (1.9 billion) into space activities over the next decade. The United Kingdom has made this decision due to other countries such as the US and Russia advancing their space capabilities. It is vital we invest in this domain because we do not want to be at a disadvantage. However we do not want to create satellite attack weapons, we want to use our space program as a defense of British assets that are in outer space. We have submitted a draft resolution to the UN that aims to prevent the arms race of outer space. This draft resolution aims to find an agreement on what countries should and should not do to help prevent misunderstandings and miscalculation that could cause war. We want to prevent tensions from arising between countries due to the militarization of space. The United Kingdom seeks to break the decade long impasse between countries on this issue.
The United Kingdom has three goals for the UN on the topic of the militarization of space. We first want to look at current treaties that relate to how states interact in outer space. We are looking at treaties such as the 1967 outer space treaty, the genova conventions and the law of armed conflict. The United Kingdom aims to tighten up the gaps in these treaties, For example one gap is the lack of formal accords designed to restrain risky military behaviors. These agreements exist for actions on land and sea but not outer space. Our second goal is to have an open dialogue around current and future threats and security risks. The main security risk The United Kingdom is focused on is technology. The United Kingdom emphasizes isn’t on technology but how we develop, tested and used by nations. To clarify, we are not opposed to technology in space, we support the use of dual-use technology being used for economic purposes. However, we do not want any technology in space that could cause tensions between countries to increase. Our third goal is to directly address what norms and principles could provide solutions to other risks. We want to have an open dialogue that addresses and advances the safety, stability and sustainability of national security related space activities.
