The New National Space Policy – Prospects for International Cooperation and Making Space Safer for All

June 30, 2010 at 7:50 am | Posted in Space Law Current Events | Leave a comment

by Sara M. Langston with the blog faculty

Source: Secure World Foundation/ Newswise

Panel Discussion: The New National Space Policy – Prospects for
International Cooperation and Making Space Safer for All

The Arms Control Association and Secure World Foundation invite you to
attend a special panel discussion on the Obama Administration’s
release of its National Space Policy.

WHEN: Thursday, July 1, 2010, 2:00 – 3:00 pm

WHERE: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Choate Room
1779 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036

BACKGROUND: Earlier this week, the Obama administration released its
new National Space Policy. The document dramatically revises
longstanding U.S. policy by expanding its emphasis on international
cooperation and cooperative initiatives; it also expresses a strong
willingness to consider arms control measures for space activities.

The new National Space Policy approach emphasizes shared
responsibility and strengthened international cooperation. The
publicly released policy states that “The United States will pursue
bilateral and multilateral transparency and confidence-building
measures to encourage responsible actions in, and the peaceful use of,
space. The United States will consider proposals and concepts for arms
control measures if they are equitable, effectively verifiable, and
enhance the national security of the United States and its allies.”

Additionally, the new National Space Policy acknowledges the role of
commercial and international partners, demonstrating a clear
understanding of the changed realities of operating in the global
commons of space.

Panelists will discuss how the new policy is consistent with and
differs from earlier policies, how new U.S. leadership could energize
existing international institutions such as the UN Committee on the
Peaceful Uses of Outer Space and the stalled Conference on
Disarmament, and make suggestions for moving forward on other
confidence-building and multilateral measures.

Speakers:

Marcia Smith, founder and editor of SpacePolicyOnline.com and
President of Space and Technology Policy Group, LLC

Ben Baseley-Walker, Legal and Policy Advisor, the Secure World Foundation

Bruce MacDonald, Senior Director, Nonproliferation and Arms Control
Project, the United States Institute of Peace

Jeff Abramson (moderator), Deputy Director, Arms Control Association

TO RSVP, please email name and affiliation to Valerie Pacer at
valerie@armscontrol.org or call (202) 463-8270 x 100.

The Arms Control Association (ACA) is an independent, membership-based
organization dedicated to providing authoritative information and
practical policy solutions to address the dangers posed by the world’s
most dangerous weapons.

Secure World Foundation (SWF) is headquartered in Superior, Colorado,
with offices in Washington, D.C. and Vienna, Austria. SWF is a private
operating foundation dedicated to the secure and sustainable use of
space for the benefit of Earth and all its peoples.