John Hill, who is performing the duties of the assistant secretary of defense for space policy at the Department of Defense, said having standard guidelines for operations in space comes with many benefits, DOD News reported Thursday.
"Among these are a safer, more sustainable, more stable and more predictable space operating environment for all space operators," Hill said Wednesday during his testimony before the House Armed Services Committee. “Importantly for [the] DOD, such an operating environment can also facilitate indications and warnings of hostile intentions and hostile acts.”
He commented on DOD’s practices and policies for space operations. He also noted that the Pentagon and commercial space sector also stand to benefit from the development of international rules for space operations.
"From the DOD perspective, United States leadership and the development of a rules-based order for space activities reap benefits for U.S. civil, commercial, scientific and national security space operators," Hill told the House panel.
"As space activities worldwide become more prolific and more varied, voluntary non-binding international norms, standards and guidelines of responsible behavior can benefit U.S. national security and foster a conducive environment for growing global space activities,” he added.
