Missile Defenses as Anti-Satellite Weapons

SMA hosted a speaker session with Dr. Laura Grego (Union of Concerned Scientists) as part of its SMA Contested Space Operations: Space Defense, Deterrence, and Warfighting (Space) Speaker Series.

Date: 1 June 2018

Speaker Session Preview

SMA hosted a speaker session presented by Dr. Laura Grego (Union of Concerned Scientists) as a part of its SMA Space Speaker Series. Dr. Grego first outlined the various types of missile defenses and explained that “because long-range ballistic missiles travel at speeds and altitudes comparable to those of satellites, missile defense systems designed to target them have inherent capabilities as ASAT weapons.” She then talked about two forms of kinetic energy interceptors and stated that existing US ground- and sea-based missile defense systems are “projected to grow significantly within the next decade and will, in theory, be able hold at risk nearly all Chinese and Russian satellites in low-earth orbits, which has serious implications for stability and security in space.” To conclude the session, Dr. Grego discussed potential solutions and strategies to diminish the problematic effects of missile defense development.

This speaker session supported SMA’s Contested Space Operations: Space Defense, Deterrence, and Warfighting (Space) project. For additional speaker sessions and project publications, please visit the Space project page.

Speaker Session Recording

To receive the slides for this presentation, please email Ms. Nicole Omundson (nomundson@nsiteam.com).

Briefing Materials

Biography

Dr. Laura Grego, a senior scientist in the Union of Concerned Scientists’ Global Security Program, focuses her analysis and advocacy on the technology and security dimensions of ballistic missile defense and of outer space security. She has authored or co-authored numerous papers on a range of topics, including cosmology, space security, and missile defense, and is a technical advisor for the Woomera Manual on the International Law of Military Space Operations project. She has testified before Congress and addressed the United Nations General Assembly and the United Nations Conference on Disarmament on space security issues and serves as an expert source for print, radio, and television news.

Before joining UCS, Grego was a postdoctoral researcher at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. She earned a doctorate degree in experimental physics at the California Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Science degree in physics and astronomy at the University of Michigan.