The Fine Yet Distinctive Line That Separates Militarisation And Weaponisation In The Field Of Space
By: Alex Mathew
It is common knowledge that the field of outer space is one that has been least explored and moreover, least exploited by mankind, but that was until October of 1957, when Russia (then USSR) had launched the first ever man-made spacecraft to outer space and thus began the infamous ‘Space Race’ between United States of America and the USSR. Fast forward to almost seventy years into the future and nearly six thousand satellites have been launched into space, excluding those that are not presently orbiting the Earth. Stating this feat as an astonishing achievement would be an understatement as the once believed impossible realm known as space had finally been breached. However, this brings numerous areas of concern to the governments, notably the militarisation and weaponisation of space. But what people fail to understand is the difference in militarisation and weaponisation of space and different stances that each country has over this controversial agenda.
Militarisation is considered as the use of spacecraft and satellites for the military purposes of a country which includes safeguarding and national security and is widely accepted by many countries. However, militarisation can also be harmful as countries can ‘spy’ on each other, as stated by the Delegate of Spain and many others. But regardless of this, a majority of the committee believes that militarisation is key to a country’s development in terms of security.
Contrary to militarisation, heavy criticism was received on the idea of weaponisation of space as a majority of countries state that it is a liability to every other country and could be misused. The Delegate of Denmark even went on to say that it should be banned and the concept of weaponisation of space must never occur. However the Delegate of Qatar gave a different perspective on this negatively viewed topic and stated that weaponisation was needed but at a bare minimum to help countries battle against any interstellar threats such as asteroids and against global threats presented by a country or a group.
“Not all militarisation is weaponisation but all weaponisation is militarisation” - this simple yet precise quote presented by the Delegate of Turkey sums up the common understanding of this agenda. Militarisation and weaponisation of space are concepts and ideas that have very similar yet very contrasting meanings and they both have the potential to change how the world works. And to prevent the negative effects of the UNCOPUOS must take a brilliant decision as this agenda not only impacts the government, but also humankind as a whole.