The potential of active military capabilities in space, underscored by Soviet testing of an antisatellite system, makes space a region of increased future military interest. Even today, U.S. military power critically depends on space-based assets for essential support and force-enchancement. Currently, the United States lacks a comprehensive political or strategic approach to space, without which it may fail to evaluate the threat correctly. Nevertheless, the United States may be forced toward deploying active (e.g., lasers and particle-beam weapons) as well as passive defenses in space. In an era in which the strategic balance appears to be shifting in favor of the Soviet Union, the ability to protect critical space-based assets and to deploy active military capabilities in space may be essential to three tasks: first, maintain deterrence by reducing the potential attacker's confidence in the success of his first strike; second, help reverse the perception of U.S. strategic decline; and third, immediately demonstrate U.S. determination to maintain its strategic power and global role.
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