The Editorial Board of the Woomera Manual on the International Law of Military Space Activities and Operations, led by Editor-in-Chief, Professor Jack Beard, presented the draft manuscript of the Manual to representatives of twenty-four countries for their comment and discussion on June 1-3, 2022, at The Hague, Netherlands. This “State Engagement” process was hosted by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was also supported by the Dutch Ministry of Defence. Professor Beard was assisted by Nebraska Law student Jon Natvig, ’23, who served as a rapporteur and continues to work on the Woomera Manual as a research assistant.
Woomera Manual is an international, multi-year project spearheaded by the University of Nebraska College of Law and three other founding universities in Australia and the United Kingdom.
The Woomera Manual (forthcoming, Oxford University Press) is designed to assist military and civilian government personnel, space operators, practitioners, and members of international organizations and non-governmental entities involved in military space activities and operations. Growing tensions in space will make a comprehensive and objective document like the Woomera Manual a useful and important tool in avoiding miscalculations that could lead to unnecessary conflict in space and in providing more predictability for states in their military space operations for the benefit of international peace and security. The Woomera Manual is applying the talent and resources of Nebraska Law to solve real world problems.
