Deep Space Nine's armament and the limits of an overseas base

Why not give Deep Space Nine heavier weapons and supporting defence platforms?

The proposed upgrades face disputed limits involving Bajoran authority, the station's Cardassian systems, scarce resources, and the diplomatic effect of a heavily armed foreign base.

Deep Space Nine's existing armament divides opinion: one participant considers it light, while another points to its repeated resistance to attacking fleets. Clarke proposes covert preparations, asteroid positions, and a more aggressive use of Sisko's political influence. Objections concern Bajoran sovereignty and the difficulty of replacing Cardassian power conduits and weapon bays. The claim that a post-scarcity society can afford the work also meets a distinction between unpaid labor and limited physical resources. Armed platforms disguised as freighters draw objections based on the fictional setting's laws of war and commerce. An Earth Spacedock example adds a civil-military concern: an orbital fortress can threaten its own government as well as an outside enemy.