On the LiftPort Blog, Tom Nugent has posted some thoughts as to which nations, more than others, might see Solar Power Satellites (SPS) as being very valuable from a national security perspective.
I completely agree. I think that deploying SPS is the “killer app” for a Space Elevator. I also think it’s a reason why being first in deploying a Space Elevator might not be the huge advantage its often touted to be. For example, I could see a country, like Japan, deploying their own Space Elevator(s), even if others already exist, just from a Security standpoint.