War in Space? - National Space Policy
Posted by StormWarning on 27 Oct 2006 at 09:21 am | Tagged as: Current Affairs, Federal Policy, International Issues, National Security
Seems like we’re moving more and more toward warp drive and "war in space." So reports an article in Technology Review, a great resource IMO.
A Dangerous Step toward Space Warfare
Experts say the new U.S. National Space Policy will push the world closer to a space arms race.
The release of the U.S. National Space Policy (NSP) on October 6 has worried many experts, who say the policy marks a strategic shift toward a more military-oriented, unilateral approach to space for the United States. They fear that the policy, if followed, could begin an arms race leading to catastrophic space warfare…
("The President authorized a new national space policy on August 31, 2006 that establishes overarching national policy that governs the conduct of U.S. space activities. This policy supersedes Presidential Decision Directive/NSC-49/NSTC-8, National Space Policy, dated September 14, 1996.")
…This is not the first time the United States has asserted what it terms an "unhindered" right to act in space. The 1996 NSP, drafted by the Clinton administration, had the same central theme. The difference, according to Theresa Hitchens, an analyst with the Center for Defense Information, is that the new policy not only dismisses the rights of other space-faring powers but is actively hostile to the concept of collective security. It signals that the United States no longer regards space as a cooperative environment, she says, undercutting 40 years of tradition that has kept competition and conflict in space at a minimum…
…In September, DefenseNews.com, a reliable source of military news, reported that China had fired high-powered lasers at U.S. spy satellites flying over its territory. What the Chinese military’s intentions were, and what effect the lasers had, is not known. Publicly, U.S. officials appeared unalarmed…(as stated in this article, "the combination of China’s efforts and advances in Russian satellite-jamming capabilities that illustrate vulnerabilities to the U.S. space network are driving U.S. Air Force plans to develop new space architectures and highly classified systems, according to sources.")
…The new space policy does more than just re-assert America’s freedom of action in space. It also calls on NASA and other agencies to gear up for technological innovation and "human and robotic space exploration programs." [more]
OPINION: It seems to me that while on the surface, this may be upsetting to some people, that the United States has limited options here. Our satellite system is integral to our communications capability and is tied to our national security. At this point, and that is a current statement, the U.S. is the only country really capable of deploying offensive, or more likely, defensive weapons into space. The Chinese are not that far behind. It has been posed that the Chinese would likely show the World its abilities to become a serious player in space travel and exploration (and perhaps militarization). How far into the future are we really able to see or project? We cannot really predict that far into the future, now can we?
For a closer look at China’s space strategy…Full text: China’s Space Activities in 2006.
Current Affairs, Federal Policy, International Issues, National Security
Al Gore being Al Gore again
Very few people have analyzed the insides of this new space policy. I urge all of you who are interested in space to analyze it very carefully. It has the potential, down the road, to create the [same] kind of
My trackback was on the politicalization of the issue. It’s already in full swing. Bush can’t even watch the ink dry without people taking potshots at it. I don’t even see any real mechanical difference in what we had versus what we have now, but SOME people are claiming it will lead to war. Now, my experience has been actions lead to war, not paper. If the Chinese truly have done some things that could be construed as being militaristic in nature, the US will respond inkind, and always has. The early days of the space race had nothing to do with seeing who get the pleasure rides into space. It had all to do with the concept of controlling space for military purposes. That idea had been tossed around in science fiction for 20 years before Sputnik. So, for the Al Gore’s and the like to assert this NSP will suddenly lurch the US and the world into military mode is absurd. Go look at the Shuttle payload history. Several of those loads were confidential. why do you suppose they were classifed?
The bottom line is this NSP changes nothing but the wording. It just puts Bush’s stamp on NASA instead of Clinton’s. If someone threatens us in or from space, I’ll bet you bottom dollar we already have something up there to counter.
And, I’ll bet my bottom dollar Gore already knew that.