Study on the Law of Armed Conflict in the Military Applications of Commercial Satellites
Since the 1980s,commercial satellites have been widely used in national defense and military fields and have also been closely involved in armed conflicts,bringing strategic and tactical advantages for ground military operations.However,the extensive engagement of commercial satellites in contemporary armed conflicts has also given rise to new legal issues,namely that under the legal framework governing outer space,activities conducted by commercial satellites shall be attributed to the respective sovereign states.Accordingly,their utilization to support armed conflicts involves the application of the law of neutral-ity as prescribed by the law of armed conflict,as well as the international humanitarian law.However,the ab-sence of targeted application rules has led to the situation in which Western countries seek to extend the boundaries of the rule of neutrality and international humanitarian law to the military application of commer-cial satellites by offering military aid to warring countries through commercial satellites in practice.It is neces-sary for the international community to recognize the equal binding force of the law of armed conflict in outer space and provide further practical guidance for private operators of commercial satellites,military depart-ments of belligerent and neutral countries in armed conflicts through the application of soft law and domestic regulation.
commercial satelliteslaw of armed conflictOuter Space Treatyrule of neutrality
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