Orbits of Influence: Emerging Threats to U.S. Space Security and Foreign Policy Implications

Mallory Stewart testifies that the U.S. must lead the development of international guardrails and rules of responsible behavior in outer space to avoid unintentional escalation and prevent China and Russia from defining future space security policy. Stewart emphasizes the need for the State Department to lead a unified space diplomacy policy, improve interagency coordination, and restart bilateral and multilateral space security dialogues to strengthen alliances and protect U.S. national security and commercial interests.

• The United States risks allowing China and Russia to define the future of space security policy if it does not take a leadership role in establishing frameworks and guardrails in the outer space security arena.
• China and Russia promote a narrative that the U.S. seeks to dominate space, using this to advocate for legally binding prohibitions on space-based weapons. Stewart argues such a treaty would be unverifiable and unenforceable because it ignores ground-based, electronic, cyber, and dual-use on-orbit capabilities, and fails to define a "space weapon."
• The U.S. and its partners successfully led an effort in the UN First Committee in October 2022 to prohibit direct ascent destructive antisatellite (ASAT) tests, which resulted in 155 countries in the General Assembly agreeing to the prohibition in December 2022, despite opposition from Russia and China.
• U.S. interagency coordination on space security has become more difficult since the cancellation of the White House Space Council under the current Trump Administration, as diplomatic roles are now divided across the Defense, Commerce, and State Departments.
• The U.S. State Department should restart bilateral and multilateral space security dialogues, including engagement with China, to share threat perceptions, understand partner perspectives, and avoid miscalculation.

APA

Stewart, M. (2026). Orbits of Influence: Emerging Threats to U.S. Space Security and Foreign Policy Implications. The Council on Strategic Risks. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2026/05/01/testimony-mallory-stewart-on-space-security-before-the-house-committee-on-foreign-affairs/

Chicago

Stewart, Mallory. Orbits of Influence: Emerging Threats to U.S. Space Security and Foreign Policy Implications. The Council on Strategic Risks, 2026. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2026/05/01/testimony-mallory-stewart-on-space-security-before-the-house-committee-on-foreign-affairs/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Stewart |first1=Mallory |title=Orbits of Influence: Emerging Threats to U.S. Space Security and Foreign Policy Implications |publisher=The Council on Strategic Risks |date=1 May 2026 |url=https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2026/05/01/testimony-mallory-stewart-on-space-security-before-the-house-committee-on-foreign-affairs/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{stewart2026orbits, author = {Stewart, Mallory}, title = {{Orbits of Influence: Emerging Threats to U.S. Space Security and Foreign Policy Implications}}, publisher = {The Council on Strategic Risks}, year = {2026}, month = may, url = {https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2026/05/01/testimony-mallory-stewart-on-space-security-before-the-house-committee-on-foreign-affairs/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }