Secure World Foundation is pleased to announce the release of the executive summary of Space Security 2012, the ninth annual report on developments that have an impact on the security and long-term sustainability of outer space.

The Space Security Index (SSI) provides a comprehensive summary of civil, commercial and military space activities in 2011, identifies important trends, and analyzes their impact on space security.

The developments covered by the report are organized according to eight chapters:

+ The space environment
+ Space situational awareness
+ Laws, policies, and doctrines
+ Civil space programs
+ Commercial space
+ Space support for terrestrial military operations
+ Space systems resiliency
+ Space systems negation

Release of the 2012 Space Security Index Executive Summary took place July 17 at the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C.

Critical issues
"With all data coming from open sources, the SSI provides an extraordinary opportunity for all people interested in space security to discuss critical issues without fear of divulging classified information," said Dr. Michael Simpson, Executive Director of Secure World Foundation.

Simpson said that even a brief review of the SSI's executive summary makes it clear how much the varied issues of space security intertwine and influence each other.

"This latest edition of the SSI is the best ever," Simpson said. "Clear, succinct, and accessible, it is an indispensable tool for grasping the essentials of space security without investing more time than most of us have."

The research process for Space Security Index 2012 was directed by Cesar Jaramillo at Project Ploughshares in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Dr. Ram Jakhu and Dr. Peter Hays provided on-site supervision at, respectively, the Institute of Air and Space Law at McGill University and the Space Policy Institute at The George Washington University.

Generous financial and in-kind support for SSI 2012 came from: Secure World Foundation, The Simons Foundation, Project Ploughshares, International Security Research and Outreach Programme at Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, and the Erin J.C. Arsenault Trust Fund at McGill University.

Click here to access Space Security Index 2012: Executive Summary.

For details on the report's release, click here