CSR, SWF, and GCSP Launch Dialogue to Strengthen Outer Space Treaty

Geneva, Switzerland — The Geneva Centre for Security Policy, in partnership with the Council on Strategic Risks and the Secure World Foundation, is thrilled to announce a new policy program to reinforce legally-binding restrictions against the deployment and use of nuclear weapons in space, backed by the Carnegie Corporation of New York and Longview Philanthropy through the Consortium to Reduce Nuclear Dangers. 

Despite the signatures of 118 state parties and 59 years in force, the Outer Space Treaty (OST) is in jeopardy, owing to an increase in reckless behavior by multiple nuclear-weapon states. With the exponential increase in commercial, governmental, and scientific reliance on outer space capacities, the ability to verify OST compliance is becoming more important than ever. Failure to uphold the OST’s nuclear weapons ban may lead to a degradation of space as a critical theater for economic and communications activity, and in the worst case, may fuel nuclear escalation in all theaters. 

The Dialogue to Strengthen the Outer Space Treaty and Deter the Placement of Nuclear Weapons in Outer Space specifically aims at raising global awareness of the unique and urgent risks of deploying nuclear weapons in outer space, and highlighting their illegality under the Outer Space Treaty (OST). The OST reserves Earth’s orbit and beyond as a nuclear weapons-free zone. With that legal and diplomatic framework, this new project will identify and highlight existing and emerging technical means of treaty verification and, in doing so, will help deter such actions that may violate the treaty. 

“The GCSP offers a neutral platform for dialogue on challenging international security issues. Global security is a major focus for our centre – through training courses, research and policy advice, and diplomatic dialogue,” said Amb. Thomas Greminger, Executive Director of the GCSP. “We are delighted to be partnering with CSR and SWF to deliver this important project on strengthening the Outer Space Treaty and upholding its prohibition on the placement of nuclear weapons in outer space.”  

“For decades, the Outer Space Treaty has provided the scaffolding for the exploration and use of outer space,” said the Hon. Mallory Stewart, Chief Executive Officer of the Council on Strategic Risks. “With technological advances, the global community now has a chance to strengthen the treaty, deter the illegal placement of nuclear weapons in space, and reinforce outer space resilience and utility for future generations.”  

"Placing nuclear weapons in orbit threatens everyone’s ability to use space and weakens the Outer Space Treaty, which is the backbone of space governance,” said Dr. Peter Martinez, Executive Director of the Secure World Foundation. “Our goal is to ensure that this doesn’t happen, so that space will continue to be accessible to and usable for all over the long term." 

In the coming months, the GCSP, CSR, and SWF will convene experts for a series of meetings focused on understanding existing OST verification capacities and challenges, securing new working relationships committed to strengthening the OST, and finding novel paths for international engagement to deter future OST violations. 

The GCSP and its partners are grateful for the support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and Longview Philanthropy, and look forward to making impactful outputs through this collaboration. 

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GCSP, CSR and SWF representatives are available for comment upon request: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] for more information. 

Feature image credit: NASA astronaut photograph ISS072-E-896652 (Expedition 72), March 2025.