“India would like to appeal to international community to see that the holes (in Outer Space Treaty) must be plugged,” Air Chief Marshal Krishnaswamy said while delivering the keynote address at the three-day international conference on ‘Space, Science and Security: The Role of Regional Expert Discussion’, organised by Observer Research Foundation, Secure World Foundation, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) and the Jawaharlal Nehru University.
“We also need a strong policing force in the UN. If somebody crosses the line, we need to bring down quickly,” he said.
He further said “the authors of the treaty have left some gaps in the treaty. And probably with a sense of purpose. After all, law is very clever.”
“Is there anyway to fill them (gaps),” he asked, adding the treaty implicitly allows certain things for military activity, including transit of nuclear weapons like ICBM and IRBM. He said, according to the treaty, non-WMD, non-nuclear weapons can be used from space on targets on space or in space itself.
He said the treaty also allows testing of all weapons in space and floating military bases. And also, there is no ban on anti-satellite, anti-missile weapons as the treaty says outer space is free for all nation states, Air Chief Marshal Krishnaswamy said.
“We all should get together and work for peaceful use of space,” he told the conference attended by delegates from the US, Australia, Switzerland, Israel and other countries.
“If something bad (from space) happens, it will be devastating. Indeed, the earth will burn off,” he said.
Saying that India is living in a very difficult environment, he said the country needed a good space programme which is imaginative, special and that takes care of all our defence needs. “I don’t trust anybody. We have learnt our lessons and so, we need to defend ourselves,” he said.
Air Chief Marshal Krishnaswamy said the space countries should work together with transparency and a legal umbrella.
The former Foreign Secretary and now president of ORF Centre for International Relations, M Rasgotra said security of space lies in non-militarisation of space. Saying militarization of space is a dangerous trend, he appealed to all the space countries to get together and do collective research to harness solar energy.
International Seminar on Space Science and Security
Plug holes in UN Outer Space Treaty: Air Chief Marshal
Tap outer space for solar energy, say former diplomat
ASHOK B SHARMA - 2011-01-19 16:12