America’s Military Power Is Already in Orbit

Excerpt Your editorial “U.S. Space Weapons Are a Force for Peace” (Sept. 16) is right that disclosing America’s on-orbit weapons strengthens deterrence. A secret capability can’t deter an adversary that doesn’t know it exists. The House Appropriations Committee reached a similar conclusion earlier this year, warning that excessive secrecy can undermine deterrence and hinder cooperation with allies. Emmerson Overell is a project coordinator at the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation (CCTI) at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where she researches threats to U.S. and allied security in the Arctic, space, and cyberspace.