Posted on 12/14/2006 6:34:49 AM PST by MARKUSPRIME
The United States defended Wednesday its opposition to a new ban on weapons in space, saying it needed to keep its options open amid threats from nations seeking ways to attack US space systems. Robert Joseph, under secretary of state for arms control and security, said he was unaware of plans to deploy weapons in space but that the new National Space Policy does not preclude that option in the future.
Joseph also said terrorism had emerged as a new potential threat to US space operations on the ground.
"Ensuring the freedom of space and protecting our interests in this medium are priorities for US national security and for the US economy," Joseph said in a speech here on the new US space policy made public in October.
"But not all countries can be relied upon to pursue exclusively peaceful goals in space," he said.
"A number of countries are exploring and acquiring capabilities to counter, attack, and defeat US space systems," he said, without naming the nations.
The growing threats require the United States to boost its ability to protect its space assets, he said.
"To achieve this end, the United States needs to remain at the forefront in space, technologically and operationally, as we have in the air, on land, and at sea," he said.
"Specifically, the United States must have the means to employ space assets as an integral part of its ability to manage crises, deter conflicts and, if deterrence fails, prevail in conflict," Joseph added.
While the United States sees "no value" in setting new agreements to ban weapons in space, it will continue abiding "scrupulously" to the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which forbids placing nuclear weapons in space, he said.
Joseph rejected arguments that the weapons ban was needed to prevent an arms race, saying there were "no signs of one emerging."
"Given the vital importance of our space assets, foreclosing technical options to defend those space assets in order to forestall a hypothetical future arms race in space, is not in the national security interest of the United States," he said.
While the US space policy does not direct the development or deployment of weapons in space, it does not close that option, Joseph said after the speech.
"There are no programs that I'm aware of in terms of development and deployment for those types of capabilities," he said in response to a question.
"But the policy itself, while calling for a full range of capabilities to protect our interests and to deny others the use of space for hostile purposes, does not preclude us from moving in that direction at some point in the future," Joseph said
Not to mention the Klingons.
I wish we had a fleet of 'Killer Satellites'... capable of zapping incoming, ballistic missles... and delivering laser guided whup-ass.
We need to back out of this joke of a treaty too.
This would be just another treaty which would be used against us by our enemies both outside and inside this country. We are burdened by many treaties to which only we are bound to adhere.
Honest nations object to a ban on weapons in space for the same reason that honest citizens object to gun control: They are the only ones who will disarmed.
Ever hear of something called Rods of God? It is probably the coolest space weapon yet. Perhaps it is already up there...
The 1967 treaty was signed with a political entity called the "USSR". I can't seem to find it on a map.
Project THOR also sometimes referred to as "rods from God".
Basically graphite-clad tungsten rod kinetic penetrators the size and shape of telephone poles that hit at meteoric velocity - their solid construction [no volatiles] and extremely high sectional density allows them to remain intact through reentry and also to penetrate very deep against hardened targets - their kinetic energy is equivalent to a small nuclear bomb.
Orbital carpet-bombardment by THORs would be a 'hard rain gonna fall' indeed.
immediately, as in yesterday.
kinda foolish that eh?
Theres some suspicion that a THOR penetrator [same idea] may have been tested in 76 off Hawaii but that is unconfirmed publicly...THOR itself does not violate the treaty against placing nuclear weapons in orbit since it is a conventional weapon that only hits like a nuke...the optimum delivery system for THOR [a Dyson Super Orion - 8,000,000 metric tonnes - that could carry tens or hundreds of thousands of the larger or millions of the crowbar sized smaller version] is however a violation of obsolete treaties with non-existent nations.
Time to dump treaties that hamstring the US from takiong control of space for the West before the Chinese who have no such treaties or compunctions take control of space for the East.
This is the REAL Clash Of Civilizations folks...and America had better get in the game before it gets 'Sputniked' again or suffers a 'Pearl Harbour UP' and its hello 'New Celestial Kindgdom' - buh-bye Western Civilization and human Liberty.
Treaties with non-existent/no-longer-existent nations are null and void...arent they?
Marshal W.T. O'Niel?
"Outland" rocked!
Good choice of a shotgun in that environment, too.
Samne general idea of a kinetic weapon bombardment from space but otherwise completely different systems - in that novel Heinlein postulated a lunar based mass-driver originally used for launching payloads from the moon being retasked to 'throw rocks' at the Earth when oppressive Earth forces attemted to quash a lunar independence movement.
Lunar mass drivers are also the key to O'Neill et al's space colonization/industrialization plans of the mid 1970s that America in an incomprehensible fit of historically unparalled national stupidity didnt pursue - in that case lunar mass drivers would have propelled lunar mining products to kevlar mass catchers in Earth orbit and at Lagrange 4/5 for use in building space industrialization factories to produce microgravity/high-vaccuum purity based supertechnologies impossible on Earth creating a vast economic boom, Solar Power Satellites that would have freed America from dependence on foreign oil and later all Humanity from polluting carbon-emission fuels, and ultimately L5 O'Neill colonies dobling in number every ten years so which within slightly more than ONE century or so ALL of Humanity could have *moved on UP* from Earth becoming a space-living race and letting Mother Earth go back to a 'Garden of Eden'/vacation paradise/biodiversity Nature preserve while Humanity expanded out across the solar system and eventually the stars at EXPONENTIAL growth rates not puny +/- 5% GDP growth.
America's Manifest Destiny writ COSMIC...
But we wouldnt want THAT eh? ;-)
Thanks for the info.
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