A new report covers topics familiar to anyone who studies global space policy, but the work is distinguished by its source and the sweep of its recommendations. “Securing Space: A Plan for U.S. Action” is the first report on space issued by the nonpartisan think tank the Council on Foreign Relations, founded in 1921 “to inform U.S. engagement with the world.” The report was produced by a task force that includes a former national security advisor, a former ambassador to NATO, a former congresswoman, a retired U.S. Space Force general and space experts from industry and academia.
The report urges the U.S. to declare space a top national priority; to launch a space vulnerability, remediation and deterrence assessment; to establish international “rules of the road” acceptable to allies and even adversaries; and to engage with rising space rival the Chinese Communist Party through an emergency space hotline and a space search and rescue agreement.
The 84-page plan is available for download online, and features seven broad findings and seven recommendations. Here are examples of supporting information presented in the report.
