Strategic nuclear defence

From Reagan's "Star Wars" to Contemporary Space Defense: Revisiting the Strategic Defense Initiative's Impact on Today's Militarization of Space

From Reagan's "Star Wars" to Contemporary Space Defense: Revisiting the Strategic Defense Initiative's Impact on Today's Militarization of Space

For the decision makers of today, it is clear that space is but another arena of international tension. Various diplomatic channels and treaties continue to safeguard the different powers’ clashes against more fatal crises or conflicts, but the reality is that the military Research and Development (R&D) continues to utilise space programs for defensive and offensive weapons alike. The 1983 Strategic Defence Initiative (SDI) was the steppingstone of the United States’ (US) counteract against the space and Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) nuclear threats; there are even those who argue that it would need some degree of resurrection. This article aims to retrace and comment on the past and present implications of the SDI and its grounding on the warfighting domain of space.