Recent articles and policy statements on the military uses of space have reignited the ongoing debate over the type of military functions that are permitted, or should be permitted, in space. These sources, however, tend to overlook the fact that such debates are nothing new. The controversial uses of space currently in the news—space control, space-based missile defense and space-enabled conventional attacks—have histories going back many years, or even decades. An understanding of how this debate has unfolded over the last half-century is important to ensure informed discussion today. Taking the high ground has always been one of the cardinal rules of military operations. When the military began to nudge its way into space in the late 1950s, it was natural to apply the same terminology to the "highest ground" of all.
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