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Space Policy 28 (2012) 66ndash67

Contents lists available

Space Policy

journal homepage wwwelsevier comlocatespacepol

Book review

1 James Oberg Space Power Theory (Washington DC US Government PrintingOffice 1999)

2 Everett C Dolman Astropolitics Classical Geopolitics in the Space Age(London Frank Cass 2002)

3 John J Klein Space Warfare Strategy Principles and Policy (London Routledge2006)

Space and Security Peter Hayes ABC-CLIO Santa Barbara CA2011

Toward a Theory of Spacepower Selected Essays D CharlesLutes Peter Hayes (Eds) National Defense University PressWashington DC (2011) (348 pp available from US GovernmentPrinting Office at httpwwwbookstoregpogov)

At first glance these are very different books They have differentpurposes and are pitched at different levels and aimed at differentaudiences Yet because of the current issues that dominate spacepolicy they inevitably address some similar issues and in someareas come to similar conclusions Both have important things tosay

Space and Security by Peter Hays is mistitled because it is actu-ally a book specifically about space and US security but this isbecause it forms part of an American book series on lsquoContemporaryWorld Issuesrsquo It is deliberately aimed at thosewith little or no back-ground knowledge of space policy issues and its structure is some-thing between a textbook and an encyclopaedia with three essaychapters followed by a historical chronology of the space agea series of biographical sketches of important figures in spacehistory a very useful collection of key documents an outline ofthe structural organisation of US space activities and an extensivebibliography The book seeks to be lsquoa good starting point forresearch by high school and college students scholars and generalreaders as well as by legislators businesspeople activists andothersrsquo In this it succeeds admirably and would make a valuableacquisition for any library

Given that it is written by Peter Hays however despite thetarget audience the author still discusses some complex issuesoffering fresh perspectives and highlighting the crucial dimensionsThe three essay chapters on lsquobackground and historyrsquo lsquoproblemscontroversies and solutionsrsquo and lsquoworldwide perspectivesrsquo arewell worth reading even for those with a considerable backgroundin space studies because they are full of insight and suggestive forfurther research The sections on issues such as space weaponisa-tion anti-satellite arms control and the development of spacelaw are necessarily brief given the remit and structure of thebook and yet manage to distil the critical issues and explainthem more clearly and effectively than many longer studies onthese subjects There are useful analytical distinctions betweenschools of thought on the arms control issue clear definitions ofcivil commercial and military space and valuable historical detailon key episodes and programmes such as the space force reorgan-isation and the Manned Orbiting Laboratory The discussion of theobstacles to an anti-satellite arms control treaty is particularlygood

Occasionally the structural limitations of the book mean that aninteresting point is left as a teaser rather than being elaborated as

doi101016jspacepol201112002

with the reference to the emergence of lsquohybrid warfarersquo but overallthis is a book that is very much more revealing than a casual glanceat it might first suggest

Peter Hays also contributes a chapter to Toward a Theory ofSpacepower This is a very different kind a book a collection ofcommissioned essays by specialists The editorial group were partof the lsquoSpacepower Theory Projectrsquo at the Institute for NationalSecurity Studies and were tasked by President George W Bushrsquosadministration to lsquocraft a spacepower theory similar to that of otherdomains for example sea powerrsquo The editors are refreshinglyhonest in admitting that after 20 seminars two workshops andtwomajor conferences the book lsquodoes not provide the foundationalprecepts of a theory of spacepowerrsquo Since in this sense it lsquodoes notdo what it says on the tinrsquo one might be forgiven for thinking thatthe book serves little purpose The opposite is in fact the case Thereis a compelling need for the development of a true theory of space-power that can organise thinking and planning for this geostrategicenvironment A number of previous authors eg James Oberg1

Everett Dolman2 and John Klein3 have attempted to do so withonly partial success The contributors to this volume are leadersin their field such as John Sheldon Colin Gray Everett DolmannRoger Launius Scott Pace and John Logsdon among others Thatthey have not succeeded is because of the inherent difficulties ofthe project but what they have done is to carry out much of theground-clearing work for the eventual production of a true space-power theory

The various papers lay out the difficulties of producing a space-power theory and contribute numerous insights into how sucha comprehensive theory might eventually be developed Theauthors approach the problem from diverse standpoints and oftenwith very different views as to what the purpose of such a theorymight be and how broad or narrow a scope it should aspire toThe first part of the book in particular attempts to outline thepurpose of such a theory its relationship to strategy and theconstraints imposed by orbital dynamics and the harshness of thespace environment The initial chapter by John Sheldon and ColinGray takes a narrowly military view of what spacepower theoryshould cover but does a very effective job of outlining the obstaclesto the production of such a theory particularly given of the lack ofhistorical evidence to draw on ndash when compared to seapowertheory for example ndash and of the difficulties involved in trying touse analogies from the sea and air domains They emphasise theneed for a theory which can lsquoprovide a common framework from

Book review Space Policy 28 (2012) 66ndash67 67

which all can refer and a conceptual means bywhich spacepower isexploited to its full potential in order to attain policy objectivesrsquo

Harold Wintonrsquos chapter is similarly focussed on the militarydimension and emphasises the need for military commandersand policymakers to fully understand the possibilities and the limi-tations of using space however the chapter is a discussion of mili-tary theory as such with space only briefly introduced at the endMartin France and Jerry Sellers concentrate in their chapter onthe difficulties involved in accessing and exploiting orbit in orderto give policy makers a clearer idea of the problems associatedwith deploying effective operational space systems The chapterby Robert Pfaltzgraff in contrast is a more Olympian survey of thesymbiotic relationship between spacepower and international rela-tions and the different perspectives offered by alternative interna-tional relations theories such as realism and constructivism

The chapters in the second section of the book relate specificallyto US national security concerns and the contributions space capa-bilities can make to addressing these Everett Dolman and formerambassador Henry Cooper adopt an unashamedly nationalist posi-tion in calling for the USA to weaponise space and use its resultingorbital dominance to impose an American hegemony which theysee as benign

Not surprisingly Michael Krepon Theresa Hitchens and MichaelKatz-Hyman take a very different approach and argue that spaceweaponisation is not in fact inevitable and that it would be a desta-bilising development in which the USA would have more to losethan any other country because of its military dependence on spaceas a force multiplier In part their alternative interpretation stemsfrom a different and broader conception of spacepower than thatused by Sheldon and Gray or Dolman and Cooper Unlike thelatterrsquos purely military formulation they offer a definition of space-power as lsquothe sum total of capabilities that contribute to a nationrsquosability to benefit from the use of spacersquo a definition that is more inline with European thinking on this subject Michael OrsquoHanlonrsquoscontribution is closer to Kreponrsquos seeing US interest as well servedby the current status quo in space and advocating a moderatelsquohedging strategyrsquo of improved space situational awareness butno move towards early weaponisation of space

The third section of the book takes the discussion away from thepurely military focus to address economic civil and commercialdimensions of spacepower Roger Launius argues that over itshistory American lsquosoftrsquo space power has in fact been a significantelement of US national power and that the USA would benefit

from continuing to maintain a clear distinction between the mili-tary and civilian dimensions of space power The chapters by ScottPace and Henry Hertzfeld both emphasise how crucial the commer-cial space sector is to Americarsquos security and economic well-beingwith Pace emphasising how the overlap between civil commercialand military systems nowmeans that it is no longer appropriate toanalyse these sectors in isolation

The final section on lsquothe future of spacepowerrsquo has threepapers that are not particularly more forward looking than theothers but perhaps simply donrsquot fit neatly into the othersections John Logsdon looks at US governmental organisationof national space policy The chapters by Peter Hays and SimonWorden are distinctive within the volume not because they areparticularly oriented towards the future but because they seethe true significance of a holistic conception of space powerand its relationship to US security in terms of cooperation withother states and international organisations rather than throughunilateral capability enhancement Moreover the cooperationthey envisage is not military but rather focused on strength-ening international law and working with the internationalcommunity to further the peaceful uses of space The chapterby Hays elaborates in much more detail arguments he is onlyable to summarise in Space and Security His key assertion isthat space law should not be seen as a minor background envi-ronmental factor in discussions of security and spacepower butthat in contrast lsquolaw can be perhaps the single most importantmeans of providing structure and predictability to humanityrsquosinteractions with the cosmosrsquo

Overall despite the modest claims of its editors this is an excel-lent collection of essays on space policy For those familiar with theissues raised there will be much to agree with and applaud andmuch to fiercely disagree with Although they do not followa consistent argument this is a strength not a weakness Thequality of the chapters is consistently excellent and taken togetherthey provide a superb source of information and argument and laydown a clear intellectual challenge which the space policy commu-nity should respond to

Michael SheehanSwansea University Singleton Park Swansea SA2 8PP UK

E-mail address msheehanswanseaacuk

Available online 17 January 2012