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Proposed Treaty on the Limitation of the Military Use of Outer
Space, as presented at the Conference of Scientists against
the Militarization of Space, July 1984, Gottingen, Germany
is not included in this comparison, as it is primarily only
of academic interest at this time.
The 1967 Outer Space Treaty does NOT ban all space-based weapons.
It bans weapons of mass destruction in space. Moreover, that
treaty has NO enforcement mechanism. The ABM Treaty was a
Treaty between the United States and Russia only. The ABM
Treaty was a bilateral agreement. November 29, 2001, 163 countries
voted for UN General Assembly Resolution A/56/535 which states,
in part, that the Member Nations are "Convinced that
further measures should be examined in the search for effective
and verifiable bilateral and multilateral agreements in order
to prevent an arms race in outer space, including the weaponization
of outer space." The Space Preservation Treaty is an
effective and verifiable, enforceable multilateral agreement
that will prevent an arms race in space, including the weaponization
of space.
Article V of the ABM Treaty prohibited the development, testing,
or deployment of ABM systems or components which are sea-based,
air-based, space-based, or mobile land-based. Article V of
the ABM Treaty provided: " 1. Each Party undertakes not
to develop, test, or deploy ABM systems or components which
are sea-based, air-based, space-based, or mobile land-based."
"For the purpose of this Treaty an ABM system was a system
to counter strategic ballistic missiles or their elements
in flight trajectory, currently consisting of:
(a) ABM interceptor missiles, which are interceptor missiles
constructed and deployed for an ABM role, or of a type tested
in an ABM mode;
(b) ABM launchers, which are launchers constructed and deployed
for launching ABM interceptor missiles; and
(c) ABM radars, which are radars constructed and deployed
for an ABM role, or of a type tested in an ABM mode.
All other types of advanced space-based weapons, such as those
in section 7 of the Space Preservation Act of 2002, were only
partially covered by the ABM Treaty The ABM Treaty had no
independent world monitoring and enforcement mechanism to
enforce a ban on space-based weapons, other than Article VIII
national technical means of verification. The ABM Treaty was
thus inadequate from the very beginning and is obsolete today,
and the best of it is incorporated into the Space Preservation
Act.
Today, when there are more space-faring nations than there
were in the early 70's when the ABM Treaty was signed, we
need a comprehensive, simple, world treaty that will ban ALL
space-based weapons, one that has written into it an enforcement
and monitoring mechanism to monitor outer space and enforce
the ban, preventing any country from walking away from this
treaty: an international outer space peacekeeping agency.
Experts and NGO's will work together on creating on additional
technical and strategic details related to the Treaty, thus
maintaining simple documents that will cause little or no
debate or controversy and that will attract signatures.
The Space Preservation Treaty incorporates H.R. 3616, the
Outer Space Treaty of 1967, the ABM Treaty, and on other already
adopted treaties and resolutions and international proposals.
This is the timely world treaty we need to get signed into
law in 2003-4. It states that each party shall:
(1) implement a ban on space-based all weapons; and
(2) implement a ban on the use of weapons to destroy or
damage objects in space that are in orbit; and
(3) immediately order the permanent termination of research
and development, testing, manufacturing, production, and
deployment of all space-based weapons
(4) The Space Preservation Treaty does not prohibit:
Non-weapons related Space exploration, research, development,
testing, manufacturing or deployment that is not related
to space-based weapons or systems or civil, commercial,
or defense activities (including communications, navigation,
surveillance, reconnaissance, early warning, or remote sensing)
that are not related to space-based weapons or systems.
(5) Use of military personnel for non-weapons activities
is permitted.
(6) ENFORCEMENT: The Space Preservation Treaty establishes,
and deploys an outer space peacekeeping agency, whose mission
is to monitor outer space and enforce the permanent ban
of space-based weapons under this Treaty.
The signing of the Space Preservation Treaty will help put
pressure on the U.S. Congress and Administration to pass THE
Space Preservation Act, to be re-introduced by Congressman
Kucinich and a Senator (to be announced) into the 108th U.S.
Congress. Only the U.S. has initiated the aggressive move
to weaponize space and to break the ABM Treaty (as was announced
by the US President on December 13, 2001, that he would do
in six months, which made the official abrogation a fact in
June 13, 2002). When the ABM Treaty was signed in the early
70's, the two countries agreed that it could be abrogated
by either country with six months notice. Attempts to save
it have failed, but the Space Preservation Treaty has simultaneously
emerged and is now ready to be signed into law.
Under the Space Preservation Treaty, "Each State Party
to this Treaty shall implement a ban on space-based weapons,
implement a ban on the use of weapons to destroy or damage
objects in space, and immediately order the permanent termination
of research and testing, manufacturing, production, and deployment
of all space-based weapons of such State Party."
Similarly, the Space Preservation Act, introduced by Congressman
Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), "To preserve the cooperative,
peaceful uses of space for the benefit of all humankind by
prohibiting the basing of weapons in space and the use of
weapons to destroy or damage objects in space that are in
orbit, and for other purposes" will also "implement
a ban on space-based weapons of the United States and the
use of weapons of the United States to destroy or damage objects
in space that are in orbit and immediately order the termination
of research and development, testing, manufacturing, production
and deployment of all space-based weapons of the United States."
The U.S. legislation will lead the U.S. President to sign
the Space Preservation Treaty, which will ban all space-based
weapons - the ultimate goal that is achievable.
With the commitment by President George W. Bush to deploy
missile defense by 2004, which is inexorably linked to the
deployment of space-based weapons (which would take place
by calling them "tests," not deployment), there
is a sense of urgency to get the Space Preservation Treaty
signed into law by world leaders in 2003.
The Space Preservation Treaty states, "Each State Party
to this Treaty agrees to the establishment, funding, equipping,
and deploying an outer space peacekeeping agency, whose mission
it is to monitor outer space and enforce the permanent ban
of space-based weapons under this Treaty." In a step
towards the establishment of the Space Preservation Treaty,
H.R. 3616 requires "The President shall direct the United
States representatives to the United Nations and other international
organizations to immediately work toward negotiating, adopting,
and implementing an international treaty banning space-based
weapons."
Both the Space Preservation Treaty and the U.S. legislation
lead to the establishment of an outer space peacekeeping agency.
This agency will, when the first twenty countries sign and
ratify it, establish this new entity that will be equipped
to monitor outer space and enforce (Kucinich conflict resolution
style) the ban. That equipment will also make it possible
to finally verify arms agreements including the reduction
and eventual elimination of nuclear weapons and other dangerous
and polluting technologies.
Thus, minds and budgets will be freed to R&D alternative,
clean and safe technology, products and services that will
be applied directly to solving urgent problems of humans and
other animals and our environment - bringing the world together,
including adversaries, to reap the abundance of benefits that
will be made available to all.
Both the Space Preservation Treaty and the U.S. legislation
do not prohibit the use of funds for activities including
"space exploration, space research and development, testing,
manufacturing or deployment that is not related to space-based
weapons or systems, or civil, commercial or defense activities
(including communications, navigation, surveillance, reconnaissance,
early warning, or remote sensing) that are not related to
space-based weapons or systems."
The Space Preservation Treaty provides that "Each State
Party to this Treaty undertakes not to base in space any object
carrying nuclear weapons or any other kinds of weapons of
mass destruction, install such space-based objects or weapons
on celestial bodies, or station such weapons in outer space
in any other manner. The moon, the planets, and other celestial
bodies shall be used by all State Parties to this Treaty exclusively
for non-weapons, peaceful purposes. The establishment of weapons-related
military bases, installations and fortifications, the testing
of any type of weapons and the conduct of military maneuvers
on celestial bodies or space-based objects shall be forbidden."
The Space Preservation Treaty states, "The use of military
personnel for scientific research or for any other non-space
weapons, peaceful purposes shall not be prohibited. The use
of any equipment or facility necessary for peaceful exploration
or habitation of the moon, the planets or other celestial
bodies, or objects in space shall also not be prohibited."
Space presents the time and place in which the military role
changes.
There is a non-space-based weapons role for the military to
play in space that can provide important service benefits
to earth. Since the military is not going to disappear, and
has great skills and intelligence, it is time to apply the
military in service in the context of a new space paradigm
that this Space Preservation Treaty and the Space Preservation
Act allow the human species to enter into a new space paradigm,
a whole new way of thinking, together. This is where the world
peoples come together.
With nearly 50 years of space R&D and exploration without
space-based weapons, the role of the military changes here
- as we work to preserve their non-weapons evolution into
the space frontier, so be it on earth. The war industry will
be transformed into a world cooperative space industry, without
space-based weapons. The line is drawn here. There will be
R&D of new clean and safe technologies with more jobs
and profits than during any hot or cold wartime that will
not be used as force multipliers in wars, but that can provide
solutions to problems. Security will be based on enhancing
communication, information sharing, and on technology applications.
In both the Space Preservation Treaty and the U.S. legislation,
the term "space" includes "all space extending
upward from an altitude greater than 60 kilometers above the
surface of the earth" and "includes any celestial
body in such space." "The terms space-based weapon'
and space-based system' means a device capable of damaging
or destroying an object or person (whether in outer space,
in the atmosphere, or on earth) by firing one or more projectiles
to collide with that object or person, detonating one or more
explosive devices in close proximity to that object or person,
directing a source or energy against that object or person,
or any other undeveloped means."
Time is of the essence. With this sense of urgency, World
Citizens and Leaders must now come together to activate the
fastest growing biggest movement in history, in solidarity
from all issue areas, rising above their different perspectives
and issues (while simultaneously working on them), to focus
on getting this bill and treaty passed into law as quickly
as possible.
Congressman Kucinich is calling on all world leaders to sign
the Space Preservation Treaty. He is calling on Canada to
convene an international Space Preservation Treaty Conference.
We can, together, network this nationwide in the US and worldwide,
so that we do all we can to pass the U.S. legislation, the
Space Preservation Act and the companion Space Preservation
Treaty into U.S. national and world law while it can be done.
This is doable. But the momentum of funding and vested interests
is being put into place via the missile defense system to
weaponize space, and that momentum is as dangerous as is deployment
of space-based weapons themselves as the current administration
plans to make it unstoppable by 2004.
There
is no more time for more debate, controversy, or distractions.
We can and must BAN ALL SPACE-BASED WEAPONS.
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