ABSTRACT
For many purifiers the image of "arming the heavens" almost hints of celestial transgression, like a primitive shaman's fear of defying the gods. The heavens are not seeded with nuclear satellite bombs, and yet the use of space by military services is intense. Communications satellites can connect military units and groups in a global net. The old-line pragmatists also lament the "militarization of space," saying that it would make vulnerable the command support satellites necessary to an offense-only deterrence strategy. Harnessing the strategic potential of earth orbit was always desired, but the political attitudes toward space as well as technology thresholds leashed strategic imagination. The Soviets could afford losses in their satellite net, but the loss of US command and control, as well as strategic warning, would undermine US capacity to extend deterrence. Increasing dependence on military instruments already in orbit have made existing space systems critical to the conduct of star war.
