Battle for Space: Statecraft, Diplomacy and Defence Strategy
Dr James W. E. Smith considers the changing perspectives on the role of space for the military, a special journal paper wrote for the Royal Astronomical Society.

The journal paper ‘Battle for Space: Statecraft, Diplomacy and Defence Strategy’ featured in the Royal Astronmical Society’s Journal Astronomy & Geophysics, Volume 64, Issue 2, April 2023, Pages 2.38–2.40. The link to the orginal paper: https://doi.org/10.1093/astrogeo/atad012
Astronomy & Geophysics publishes papers on subjects within the remit of the Royal Astronomical Society: astronomy, astrophysics, cosmology, planetary science, solar-terrestrial physics, global and regional geophysics and the history of these topics.
The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) was founded in 1820, it encourages and promotes the study of astronomy, solar-system science, geophysics and closely related branches of science.
The 'Astronomical Society of London' was conceived over dinner on 12 January 1820. The 14 men who met that day included Charles Babbage (the father of computing) and John Herschel; they shared an interest in astronomy and were concerned about its future. The new Society and Council first gathered on 10 March 1820. Sir William Herschel was the titular first President, though he never actually took the Chair at a meeting. A Royal Charter was signed by William IV on 7 March 1831. Since then we have been known as the Royal Astronomical Society, and the reigning monarch has been its Patron.
The objectives of the Society were the promotion of astronomy in the form of accurate calculations and observations, but also in practical applications such as navigation.
I was invited as a combined effort between RAS, International Astronomical Union (IAU) and the American Astronomical Society (AAS) to update the science community about developments in the use of nations and defence on space. This was a unique opportunity to bring together the science community and humanities (strategic studies). It was particularly felt considering the maritime connection with science and exploration of Planet Earth with navies that I would be able to communicate what is happening both in scholarly and real-world premise to the scientific community, many of whom linked into civilian and military efforts in the broader space community. It was an honour to do so, resulting in the attached paper but also to feed back into my own relationship on the maritime-strategic uses for space.