Trends in missile defence and space security

For more than 60 years, missiles have been a symbol of international power. Influential nations have them, and others want them. ¹ As early as the 1950s, ballistic missiles served as a principal component of European security, with US-made Thor and Jupiter intermediate-range ballistic missiles deployed in NATO countries such as the United Kingdom, Italy and West Germany. On the other side of the Iron Curtain, Soviet-made Scud, SS-21, SS-23 and FROG rockets were deployed to nearby Warsaw Pact countries. Today, in addition to Russia and the USA, China is conducting ballistic missile tests and manoeuvering its M-9 missiles against Taiwan to exert political pressure. Iran continues to test intermediate-range ballistic missiles, and North Korea recently launched what it claimed was a rocket bearing a satellite. ² Even non-state actors have used short-range rockets (e.g. Hamas in its conflict with Israel). Unlike nuclear weapons, there are no legal structures or taboos against the development, testing or maintenance of missiles. As such, these complex systems are becoming more dangerous and are being tested with increasing frequency all over the world. There are a number of approaches in dealing with missile proliferation and existing missiles, such as developing missile defences, imposing missile technology control regimes, ³ and space launch technology sharing.