Sad to say, but the entire “space is a military free zone shared by all humanity” is a ridiculous pipe dream detached from reality. We might as well say every nation in the world all agrees to stop all military R&D.

While the 1967 Outer Space Treaty prohibits military operations on celestial bodies and forbids claims of sovereignty over the Moon, the report stresses that geopolitical realities may force the U.S. to prepare for scenarios where treaties are insufficient.

In other words…When you decide treaties are inconvenient, you are entitled to do whatever the fuck you want. No prior congressional authorization required.

I can visualize situations where circumstances might legitimately force a nation to ignore treaty obligations and commit to drastic, perhaps even hostile, measures. But such an action would be equivalent to a declaration of war–something requiring a solemn and irreversible decision involving great risk and demanding national consensus. But this proposal suggests we should be planning for such an action regardless, just in case, as a matter of routine. I’m enough of a realist to know that nations sometimes do this, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen such a proposal put forward by Americans even before the crisis that precipitates it becomes fact.

I guess America is now in the “insufficient” treaties business.