ARGUMENT: SPACE MANAGEMENTWhy Norms Matter More Than Ever for Space Deterrence and Defense

Diplomacy and defense have always gone hand-in-hand, and space is no exception.Space has become a fundamental part of daily life and of U.S. national security, ranging from command and control to intelligence and navigation.

Robin Dickey writes in War on the Rocks that as the uses of space grow in significance, so too has the question of how to keep space systems safe and secure, and one of the potential answers to that question is to fill in gaps in norms of responsible behavior for space. “What may seem like a relatively niche topic actually supports a broad swath of U.S. strategic objectives and has become a central line of effort in protecting national security interests in the space domain,” he writes. “America’s space norm efforts have moved beyond broad public statements and into national defense policies and strategies.”

He continues:

In response, some commentators have questioned the value of space norms for defense and deterrence. After all, a norm cannot prevent a determined adversary from taking aggressive actions, nor can it intercept a missile or shield a satellite from attack. Criticisms include allegations that nonbinding norms are relatively toothless, that they can unnecessarily constrain U.S. behavior, or that bad actors will simply ignore norms and do what they want anyway. There is some validity in each of these critiques. Yet, norms do play a crucial role in space security, as they have in other domains for centuries. 

Very few norms have been fully developed yet from a space security perspective, and further developing norms of behavior for space is an important project for defense and deterrence in the domain. While norms constrain some freedom of action, they can also play a key role in: dispelling confusion; facilitating coordination among allies and partners during crisis or conflict; and identifying and responding to aggression. These impacts can help achieve the ultimate space security goals of preventing conflict in space, persevering through conflict should it occur, and protecting the use of space for future generations in the United States and around the world.

While many of these dynamics have not been truly tested in space due to (thankfully) the lack of open warfare in the domain to date, similar norms have performed these roles in other domains for decades or centuries. Norm development is one of many tools that can and should be applied strategically to preserve stability and promote U.S. interests in space. While there are many potential norms that could be considered as components of a norm-enabled space security strategy, of particular value could be norms such as identifying “threatening” on-orbit behaviors, establishing lines of communication between satellite operators, developing standards for interoperability of systems and data, and promoting information sharing and resource provision to potentially vulnerable space actors. The benefits of space norms to deterrence and defense appear to outweigh the costs, and those benefits should not be ignored just because their effects are often subtle. 

Dickey concludes:

Because of the pace of progress in space today, if the United States does not play a leading role in supporting the development of norms of behavior for space, norms will develop without U.S. input. This raises the risk that the U.S. national security space enterprise would then be put in the position of choosing between complying with norms counter to U.S. interests or violating the norms and becoming subject to pressure, responses, and censure by the international community. Norms, when done right, can be helpful for defense and deterrence, but it still takes effort and cooperation to strike the right balance. Forfeiting a role in that discussion could also mean forfeiting the benefits of a strategically, environmentally, and politically sound norm regime.

Such a norm regime could be incredibly complex and feature a diverse range of norms. To address problems of confusion and unintended escalation during a crisis, key norms could include clarifying which behaviors in space would be seen as threatening and promoting the use of lines of communication and points of contact between operators. The norms on threatening behaviors can also contribute to the planning and coordination of responses to those threats. Standards for interoperability, norms for information sharing and threat education, and other norms for standards and resources to help vulnerable space actors protect themselves in space and cyberspace can make the whole of U.S. industry and allied coalitions more resilient. 

Norms do not solve all problems of space security. They can, however, provide more stable and predictable paths to peace in a crisis, support coalitions and coordination, and enhance responses to threats. Current efforts to build norms are a vital component in a comprehensive U.S. strategy to ensure security and stability in space.