Strategic Disruption from Space: Operation Bunyan al-Marsoos and the Future of Regional Space Warfare

Abstract

The process of militarization of the outer space ceased to be a mere speculation and became a subject of acute concern in terms of the modern strategic rivalry. The paper will concentrate on such activities as the Pakistani application of space-based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), cyber-electronic warfare, and precision-guided systems in the creation of a multidomain deterrence stance. This shift of the reactive to the proactive is reflected as a significant shift of doctrine to the concept of asymmetric space denial and disruption of the real-time decision cycle. The next phase, the Iran-Israel-U.S. tensions proved the real power of such courses of action, where Iran launched the same space-cyber attack on technically advanced adversaries. With space emerging as a significant aspect of the contemporary battleground, it is now time to underline the urgent necessity to guarantee the Pakistani participation in space control in the region as the unmitigated militarization starts to give birth to uncovered conflict.