First Committee of the General Assembly

Outer space, once a realm of wonder and hope for humanity, is now at risk of becoming the next arena for an arms race. In light of the development of new space military technologies and rising tensions between the East and the West, the First Committee of the General Assembly held its seventy-eighth session to discuss the prevention of an arms race in outer space.

The roots of the militarization of outer space can be traced back to the Cold War era when the United States and the Soviet Union vied for supremacy and dominance in space. The 20th-century space race led to the drafting of important international agreements, such as the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies (the Outer Space Treaty), and the Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects (the Liability Convention), with the aim of ensuring that outer space is used for peaceful purposes. However, with significant changes in the geopolitical landscape and technological development, these decades-old agreements are no longer fully equipped to tackle modern-day security challenges.

Furthermore, the recent development of anti-satellite weaponry is particularly concerning not only because of its security implications but also due to the fact that the testing of such weaponry generates significant amounts of space debris. For example, according to Theodore Kruczek, a radar analyst at the United States Space Force, the top three space events that created the most space debris were all satellite collisions, with the events in first and third place being anti-satellite tests. In recent years, a number of scientists have warned governments about the Kessler Syndrome, a chain reaction caused by the collision of space objects. The worsening space debris situation, coupled with a congested Low Earth Orbit (LEO), may lead to such a cascade effect, potentially destroying key satellites or even endangering Earth as debris falls into our atmosphere.

Since the mandate of the First Committee of the General Assembly is to achieve global disarmament and maintain international peace and security, as enshrined in Article 1 of the UN Charter, it is crucial for this committee to generate innovative solutions to demilitarize outer space and mitigate the impacts of previous military testing. Additionally, promoting the peaceful use of space through international cooperation is essential to ensure that space remains a domain free from conflict and that all space activities contribute to the common good of humanity.