Weaponisation of space must be discouraged: Antony

New Delhi, Feb 5: A day after External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee called for keeping outer space free of weapons, Defence Minister A K Antony today said weaponisation of space must be discouraged to stop the start of a new arms race.

The reactions are directed at China which shot an orbiting satellite in a 'Star Wars' missile strike a fortnight ago.

''It is our collective responsibility to ensure the safety and security of assets in the space like satellites,'' Mr Antony said in his keynore address at an international seminar on ''Aerospace in Tomorrow's World,'' here, attended by air chiefs of 37 countries.

Pointing to the ongoing work on development of anti-satellite weapons, including those launched from the ground, he said: ''This issue requires the urgent attention of the international community, since this might trigger a new arms race, which could have a negative impact on the defence and development of most nation-states.

He said the use of outer space for military objectives was ''a major challenge confronting all of us''.

''.... It may be difficult to demarcate distinctly between peaceful and military uses. However, we have always advocated peaceful use of technology. Thus, we are of the view that weaponisation of space must be discouraged,'' he said.

Mr Antony called for increased civil-military cooperation in the application of aerospace technologies. ''In the near future, nations that progress will need to invest in space technologies that provide multiple benefits,'' he said. On terrorism, he said the need of the hour was to isolate the terror networks from their support bases, which cut across geographical boundaries.

''Aerospace capabilities, particularly airlift, aerial surveillance, communications, intelligence sharing and calibrated strikes, if necessary, could form an important component of counter-terrorism.'' He also called for setting up of joint and integrated structures under the aegis of the United Nations for bringing a quick end to hostilities.

Pointing out that India's defence expenditure at 2.2 per cent of the GDP was one of the lowest in the world, he said the government should modernise the defence forces, particularly of the aerospace capabilities which were crucial to the security concerns and development in future.

''Therefore, it is imperative that we do not shy away from the cost of high technology systems and infact, ensure that our national technological and industrial base is strengthened, leading to our overall economic growth.'' On information technology, he said the government was committed to conducting more research in building more aerospace structures and manufacturing technologies.

He urged the nations to develop and use aerospace assets for mutual benefit as a cost-effective method.

''It is now widely accepted all over the world that one who holds control aerospace would exert unprecedented influence over world affairs in future.'' Asserting that proliferation of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles posed a major challenge to global security, Mr Antony sought fresh ideas and concepts to meet future threats.

UNI