MILITARY USES OF SPACE
1 9 4 5 - 1 9 9 1
Military Uses of Space, 1945-1991 provides a detailed record of the strategic importance of the U.S. military space program
from the conceptualization of the uses of space to the present realization of advanced capabilities.
Rarely seen documents--many published here for the first time--provide insight into U.S. policy towards the military uses of outer
space. Scholars will find immediate access to information concerning:
- Military Space Programs
-
Previously classified histories, program management directives and requirements studies show the evolution of a wide variety of
space programs. It
is possible to trace the original requirements for different systems as well as early attempts to develop space systems to satisfy the requirements, and to examine the operation of actual systems from the late 1950s to the present. Specifically,
documents from the l 950s through 1989 show the evolution of space-based systems to detect missile launches and nuclear explosions. The
documents reveal initial problems in developing such systems, bureaucratic warfare between the Office of the Secretary of
Defense and the Air Force, the initial launches of the satellites developed, problems with the satellites, and the overall history of
the satellites' operations.
- Space Policy
-
Documents from the 1950s to the present reveal the basic principles and policies underlying U.S. space programs. Researchers will find documents concerning
U.S. strategy for dealing with the international political consequences of deploying military space systems, the objectives of deploying such systems, the priorities assigned to achieving various space capabilities (such as reconnaissance), and the exten
t to which space operations were to be conducted under a veil of secrecy.
- Space Weaponry
-
Annual reports, histories, and other documents reveal the evolution of U.S. plans and programs to develop and deploy space weaponry--which
includes anti-satellite weapons and the Strategic Defense Initiative. The documents demonstrate how concepts for space
weaponry have changed, the results of various tests, and present plans for future space-based weaponry.
The ABM Treaty and the SDI Program
Secret, National Security Decision Directive, NSDD 192
2 pp.
Origin: United States, National Security Council
From: Ronald Reagan
Index: Ronald W. Reagan asserts that re-examination
of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty of 26 May 1972
revealed that a broader interpretation of the treaty is
justified, but the U.S. will continue to pursue the
Strategic Defense Initiative program along the lines
already established.
Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty of 26 May 1972
Ronald W Reagan asserts that re-examination of the
Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty of May 1972 revealed that a
broader interpretation of the treaty is justified, but the
U.S. will continue to pursue the Strategic Defense
Initiative program along the lines already established.
- 11/90
- USARSPACE Support to Desert Shield, U .S. Army Space Command, Briefing Paper.
- 10/85
- The ABM Treaty and the SDI Program, National Security Council, National Security Decision Directive #192, Secret.
- 07/82
- National Space Policy, National Security Council, National Security Decision
Directive #42, Top Secret.
- 04/81
- Flight 9 False Reports, Aerospace Defense Command, Unclassified.
- 08/77
- Required Operational Capability for an Improved NUDET Surveillance and
Reporting System, Aerospace Defense Command, Report.
- 03/77
- Space Systems Policy, Department of Defense, Directive, Confidential.
- 07/72
- The Air Force in Space 1969-70, Office of Air Force History, History, Secret.
- 01/64
- Planning Implications for National Security of Outer Space in the 1970s, Department of State Policy Planning Council, Report, Secret.
- 09/60
- George Rathjens "Vulnerability Discussions with Reference to MIDAS, " Lockheed
Corporation, Report, Secret.
- 09/60
- The Threshold of Space: The Air Force in the National Space Program 1945-1959,
Office of Air Force History, Report, Secret.
- 06/58
- U.S. Policy on Outer Space, National Security Council, Report, Secret.
- 11/57
- An Earlier Reconnaissance Satellite System, Rand Corporation, Report, Secret.
- 04/51
- Utility of a Satellite Vehicle for Reconnaissance, Rand Corporation, Report,
Confidential .
Praise for Military Uses of Space, 1945-1991
"This unique collection offers an in-depth record of the U.S. military's often super-secret activities in
outer space. Dr. Richelson's years of research using the Freedom of Information Act and his own extensive sources have
yielded a product that is a must for
scholars,
policymakers and students focusing on the U.S. space program, space policy, and national security issues.
The documents are accompanied by a lengthy chronology and series of glossaries--including the most complete listing of
satellite launches available
anywhere.
The index ensures researchers pinpoint access to names and subjects down to the document level."
John Pike
Director of Space Policy
Federation of American Scientists
- Title:
- Content:
- Arrangement:
- Standards:
- Access:
- Date of Publication:
January 1992
- Orders and Inquiries
Dr. Desmond Ball, Head, Strategic and Defence Studies
Centre, Research School of Pacific Studies, The
Australian National University
William E. Burrows, Director, Science and
Environmental Reporting Program, New York University
John Pike, Director of Space Policy, Federation of American Scientists
Dr. Paul Stares, Brookings Institution
Dr. Jeffrey Richelson, Consultant and Project Director, is a Senior Fellow at the National Security Archive. Dr. Richelson is
noted for his scholarship in the field of U.S. and foreign intelligence. Dr. Richelson has authored numerous books, articles, and
reviews on intelligence and espionage, most recently America's Secret Eyes in Space, 1990,
the history of U.S. spy satellites.
Tomomi Kimura, Research Assistant
Dwayne Day, Research Assistant
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