Developments in high resolution imaging satellites for the military

The military authorities in 10 countries now operate high resolution imaging satellites either autonomously or as joint civil–military systems. At least 15 other countries operate civil imaging satellites whose image quality is comparable to that of the military variety, and more countries join the list every year. The proliferation of these satellites is described, the link to similarly proliferating civilian systems presented and the mostly positive implications for international relations of their spread discussed.