The RAND Corporation has released a new report entitled “Deterrence and First-Strike Stability in Space: A Preliminary Assessment”.

[SatNews] Space stability is a fundamental U.S. national security interest. Unfortunately, that stability may be eroding. Potential enemies now understand the high degree to which space systems enhance U.S. conventional warfighting capabilities, and a growing number of them are gaining the ability to degrade – or destroy – those systems. A new RAND report explains how some U.S. space systems are more vulnerable than others and different types of attacks offer different cost-benefit payoffs to attackers. As a result, each system has a unique threshold at which deterrence could fail. The report examines the various types of attacks potential adversaries may consider under what conditions and evaluates what steps will deter enemies from attacking U.S. space systems. The United States can enhance deterrence by implementing a coordinated national space deterrence strategy that, among other things, makes it clear the United States will punish space aggressors in ways, times and places of its choosing.