Options for getting them back again remain unclear at present
Send them with a pack of stamped addressed bodybags?
A heavyweight Washington thinktank has issued a report which says that it makes no sense for the USA to build an enormous, horribly beweaponed space battle fleet in the immediate future. Normally, one might say "duh, thanks for the tip", or similar, but in fact there are a fair number of people in and around the US capital who …
Kosiak draws a distinction between militarisation and weaponisation; in this sense isn't a more valid comparison to be drawn not with the dreadnought races of the early 20th Century, but rather the early militarisation of the air. Early aircraft were primarily initially used by the military as an intelligence gathering tool also, and initial attempts to give them combat capability were...well...."Just fly above the other chap and drop this hand grenade on him, will you?"... That said, we saw rapid progress in the aerial theatre.
You don't need nukes for your Death Star fleet. Dropping big enough rocks onto your target is more than enough to stop any problem - see Footfall by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle.
Even a 'Project Thor' would be enough of a deterrent to most operations and have maximum 'Shock & Awe' value...
I remember the good old times when the "UN Space Navy" was meant to defend Earth from Aliens, and it didn't shy away from hiring disturbingly cute female officers either:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.N._Spacy
"But after the Cold War against the UN was won by General Bolton, the US assumed in-depth defense of Earth against the Sandnigra Empire and assorted Yellow Forces."