2026/01/24 星期六

UN Policy Brief Demilitarization of Outer Space Safeguarding Peace, Life, and the Future of Human Civilization

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日期:2026/01/18   IAE Frank Chen

UN Policy Brief

Demilitarization of Outer Space

Safeguarding Peace, Life, and the Future of Human Civilization

Executive Summary

Outer space is rapidly becoming a new domain of military competition. The establishment of space-focused military commands and the deployment of dual-use and weapon-capable space technologies pose escalating risks to global peace, human security, and long-term civilizational survival.

This Policy Brief argues that the full demilitarization of outer space is no longer an aspirational ideal, but an urgent necessity. Drawing on principles of international law, sustainable development, and life-centered governance, it proposes a renewed global commitment to preserving outer space as a peaceful, shared, and non-militarized domain.

1. Problem Statement: The Emerging Militarization of Outer Space

Recent developments indicate a decisive shift toward the weaponization and militarization of outer space, including:

  • The establishment of dedicated space military branches

  • The development of anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons

  • The integration of space systems into nuclear and hypersonic strike doctrines

  • Increasing opacity in military space activities

These trends significantly increase the probability of miscalculation, escalation, and irreversible damage to orbital infrastructure upon which global communications, climate monitoring, navigation, and humanitarian systems depend.

Outer space conflict would not be geographically contained; its consequences would be planetary.

2. Why Demilitarization Matters

2.1 Outer Space as a Global Commons

Under international law, outer space is recognized as the province of all humankind. Militarization contradicts this foundational principle by transforming a shared domain into a strategic battlefield.

2.2 Existential and Civilizational Risk

Unlike terrestrial warfare, conflict in space risks cascading, uncontrollable outcomes—such as debris proliferation (Kessler Syndrome)—that could permanently disable access to space for all nations and future generations.

2.3 Impact on Sustainable Development

Space-based systems are essential to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including disaster response, climate resilience, food security, and global connectivity. Militarization undermines these capacities.

3. Limits of the Current Governance Framework

While the Outer Space Treaty (1967) prohibits weapons of mass destruction in space, it does not sufficiently address:

  • Conventional weapons in orbit

  • Military command structures dedicated to space

  • The deployment of offensive space capabilities under the guise of “defense”

  • Accountability, verification, and transparency mechanisms

As a result, legal ambiguity is being exploited, eroding trust and accelerating an arms race dynamic.

4. A Life-Centered Governance Perspective

A growing body of civilizational and policy thought emphasizes that security must be defined not only in military terms, but in terms of life protection, intergenerational responsibility, and planetary stability.

From this perspective:

  • True security arises from preventing irreversible harm, not from deterrence escalation

  • Peace in outer space is a prerequisite for peace on Earth

  • The moral maturity of humanity will be measured by whether it can restrain violence beyond its home planet

5. Policy Recommendations

5.1 Reaffirm Outer Space as a Non-Military Domain

UN Member States should jointly reaffirm that outer space must remain free from military deployment, confrontation, and weaponization.

5.2 Advance a Binding Demilitarization Framework

Initiate negotiations toward a comprehensive international agreement that prohibits:

  • The establishment of space-based military forces

  • The deployment or testing of space weapons

  • The use of space infrastructure for offensive military operations

5.3 Strengthen Transparency and Confidence-Building Measures

Enhance reporting, data-sharing, and verification mechanisms under UN auspices to reduce mistrust and prevent escalation.

5.4 Integrate Space Peace into the SDG Framework

Explicitly recognize space peace and demilitarization as enabling conditions for sustainable development and global resilience.

5.5 Establish a UN-Led Space Peace Initiative

Create a dedicated UN platform or Special Envoy mechanism focused on Outer Space Peace and Non-Militarization.

6. Conclusion

Outer space represents humanity’s final frontier—not only technologically, but ethically.

If humanity exports military rivalry into space, it risks forfeiting the future benefits of exploration, cooperation, and shared progress. Demilitarizing outer space is therefore not a concession of security, but an investment in collective survival.

Peace in space is the ultimate test of global governance, human restraint, and civilizational wisdom.

Prepared for consideration by the United Nations and its Member States