This report marks the first phase of a three-year project aimed at assessing the risks of dual-use space systems and offering policy recommendations on the development and enforcement of a global governance regime. The authors present the findings of a literature review in which they examined the landscape of national approaches to dual-use space systems across select countries in the Americas, Europe-Eurasia, and the Indo-Pacific.

Exploring Duality in Space

How Select Countries Approach Dual-Use Space Systems

Krista Langeland, Anca Agachi, James Black, Mélusine Lebret, Karen Schwindt, Jan Osburg, Nicholas Kong, Amal Altwaijri, Auburn Brown, John Kennedy, et al.

Edited by Bruce McClintock, David Glickstein

ResearchPublished Jan 29, 2026

As nations increasingly develop and deploy dual-use space systems — those capable of serving both civilian and military objectives — the international community may consider governance mechanisms to address their potential risks, including miscalculation and escalation in space. This report marks the first phase of a three-year project aimed at assessing those risks and offering policy recommendations to the United States and its allies on the development and enforcement of a global governance regime. In this report, the authors present the findings of a literature review in which they examined the landscape of national approaches to dual-use space systems across select countries in the Americas, Europe-Eurasia, and the Indo-Pacific. These include domestic factors (such as policy frameworks, primary government and private actors, and examples of deployed systems), as well as international engagements (such as global partnerships and contributions to norms-based discussions).

These insights, collected in spring 2025, informed subsequent virtual workshops that summer with regional experts and stakeholders and will serve as a foundation for later project phases in 2026 and 2027, which will include in-person workshops and a final report on potential global governance regimes.

Key Findings

  • Countries frequently view space as a valuable domain for both civilian and military goals and deploy space systems that serve both.
  • Many countries rely on international and private partnerships to access, develop, or deploy dual-use space systems.
  • Dual-use capabilities are a common topic in bilateral, multilateral, and international discussions on norms and responsible behavior in space.
  • Countries commonly adopt implicit approaches to distinguish civilian from military space system applications, in which space-related policies, laws, dialogues, and international engagements together characterize a national approach rather than explicit, codified policies.
  • In some cases, countries adopt centralized or deliberately ambiguous strategies in managing dual-use space systems.

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Langeland, Krista, Anca Agachi, James Black, Mélusine Lebret, Karen Schwindt, Jan Osburg, Nicholas Kong, Amal Altwaijri, Auburn Brown, John Kennedy, Paul van Hooft, Amanda Kerrigan, Kristina Novakovic, Mitsuho Miura, and Jeffrey W. HornungMcClintock, Bruce and David Glickstein, eds., Exploring Duality in Space: How Select Countries Approach Dual-Use Space Systems. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2026. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA4003-2.html.
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This work was funded by Founders Pledge and conducted by within the International Security and Defense Policy Program of the RAND National Security Research Division (NSRD).

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