Russia and China Outmaneuvering the West in Weaponizing Space
China and Russia have been quickly building and deploying both ground and space-based weapons intended for destroying satellites. At the same time, China and Russia have been pressing the United States to agree to a treaty prohibiting anti-satellite weapons . The United States possesses a significant number of critical space-based military capabilities . When viewed from the outside, the treaty sounds ideal. Nobody desires a space-based arms race. These space-based capabilities include communications, missile defense, intelligence, and other satellites. If the U.S. is to be successful in stopping aggression of authoritarian regimes, Washington needs to prevent being drawn into international treaties that other competing powers have no intention of respecting or following. Beijing and Moscow have submitted The Treaty on the Prevention of the Placement of Weapons in Outer Space and of the Threat or Use of Force Against Outer Space Objects (PPWT) to the United Nations. The PPWT obligates