The conventional speculation, however, is that, out there in the black-ops world, where things sometimes get done a lot faster, there's a lot of stuff maybe sorta getting ready to get ready to go up. Were Mr. Gore to try something similar, he could no doubt find a program or two worth revealing. In any event, the gear is out there. Or could be. If the United States fails to exploit space, offensively and defensively, over the next few decades, the failure may be more political and cultural than technological.
Opposition comes from many sources.
The logic here seems to be that since our most precious assets are totally undefended, defending them will increase their vulnerability. The Russians and Chinese have had serious anti-satellite programs for decades. Israel has also been busy with lasers, missile defenses, and other adaptable items. There's no law made by humankind that can't be altered for sufficiently good reason, starting perhaps with the good reason that the Soviet signatory of these and other relevant treaties no longer exists. This might seem odd.