/lit/ - Literature

The militarization of space. It is a natural consequence of technological advancement and the dialectic of arms races. The traditional theaters of war, land, air and sea, have more or less been technologically maxxed out save for robotization. More advanced weaponry in these fields are not realistic lasers, gauss cannons, etc, are costly and confer only a marginal benefit over existing materiel. As the world's major military powers reach equilibrium in the means of war in these domains, space is the logical and necessary next step. Indeed the US DoD just approved the formation for a space force and China has been actively implementing one.

What are the battlefield advantages of space weaponry? They offer an exceptional delivery system for certain types of warheads, particularly nonconventional EMP bombs to disable electronics in a given region, given that it is easier to detonate a bomb in the atmosphere from space rather than deliver it through the atmosphere.

Armed spacecraft can also be used to destroy enemy surveillance satellites. In fact in 2007 the Chinese did exactly that.

Certainly the DoD is eying Jeff Bezo's space corporation Blue Origin and given Bezo's prior involvements with the military industrial complex there is sure to be some courtship in the years to come as the space force is developed.