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December 4, 2023
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Verifying Compliance: Constructs to Constrain Counterspace Capabilities

Sponsored Research
Editors
Benjamin Silverstein
Counterspace Capabilities
Emerging Space Threats
Global Cooperation in Space
International Cooperation
International Space Law Review
Soft Law
Space Debris Management Strategies
Space Situational Awareness
Space Sustainability
UN COPUOS
Verifying Compliance: Constructs to Constrain Counterspace Capabilities
Sponsored Research
Editors
Benjamin Silverstein
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image of a table from this report by Benjamin Silverstein

As diplomatic momentum grows around space security and anti-satellite weapon (ASAT) restraints, this report provides a foundational analysis of how compliance with future agreements could be verified, both technically and politically.

Benjamin Silverstein evaluates historical precedents from arms control, disarmament, and environmental agreements to extract five primary verification practices:

  • National reporting
  • On-site inspections
  • National and international technical means
  • Third-party data
  • Institutional enforcement bodies

The report argues that no single method is sufficient. Instead, a combination of practices, tailored to specific treaty objectives, is essential.

Silverstein details the challenges of verifying compliance with potential bans on:

  • Destructive DA-ASAT missile testing
  • Co-orbital ASAT systems
  • Space environmental damage from intentional fragmentation

Special attention is given to the role of commercial space situational awareness (SSA) providers and their increasingly significant role in detecting and interpreting space behaviors.

The report closes with pragmatic recommendations: states must expand domestic SSA capacity, consider new models for collaborative monitoring, and build verification frameworks that can keep pace with geopolitical, commercial, and technological complexity.

See pages 22–27 for a comparative matrix of arms control verification mechanisms across treaties.

Cites lessons from NPT, CTBT, CWC, CLRTAP, OST, PPWT, and the ASAT moratorium process.

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