U.S. won't rule out waging war in space, general says

[nolabels]

U.S. won't rule out waging war in space, general says

Satellites of enemies and even neutral states could be fair game for American attack

David Pugliese

The Ottawa Citizen

February 21, 2005

A top U.S. space commander says the United States can't rule out attacking the satellites and other spacecraft of enemy nations in the future.

But Lt.-Gen. Daniel Leaf, vice-commander of the American air force space command, says at this point the U.S. is focused on protecting its own space capabilities, although it has to keep an eye on the potential that weapons will be developed by other nations to target U.S. satellites and spacecraft. And even if it does decide to directly counter such moves, that doesn't mean it will resort to putting weapons into orbit, according to the officer.

The issue of turning space into a battleground has become a hot-button topic in the U.S. and Canada. Some defence analysts have voiced concern the Pentagon is preparing to fight a war in orbit and worry that Prime Minister Paul Martin's government is being drawn into those plans. Analysts also cite a report issued last August by the U.S. air force, which, they note, acknowledged that satellites of enemy or neutral countries could be destroyed if necessary
(snip)
http://www.canada.com/ottawa/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=5ac3c3f8-ce3f-4e53-bf05-b7567df24b02

The even larger empty space between chimpy's ears might need checked out also :crazy:

[Ouabache]

1. Don't Surprise me None !

Even when we are finally rid of Bush and PNACers, it will be at the cost of much destruction and chaos.

[punpirate]

2. This has been a wet dream of the Pentagon's...

... for more than two decades. No one is willing to make any estimate of the eventual cost for the umbrella of projects they have planned for space, but it's likely in the trillions of dollars.

[BrightKnight]

3. Here is an idea.

[Nostradammit]

4. LMAO!!

Bravo!

Capitol Idea.

:toast:

[Dogmudgeon]

5. I have a real dumb question to ask

Who are we going to fight in space?

Or is this going to be Star Wars meets Fight Club?

--p!
Ruke Number One: You do not talk about the Department of Defense.

[malmapus]

6. who are we gonna fight!!!??

what a silly question...them of course!! the way they look at us all suspicious like!

I think that is the answer we'd get =)

[tlcandie]

10. Anyone who gets in our way of taking over the world AND space.. n/t

[Renew Deal]

18. I saw a Science channel show on travel to mars.

And they said something like colonizing the galaxy is our destiny.

[hack89]

7. They are talking about US space based weapons and sensors

The ultimate high ground. We would destroy other countries spy and communications satellites while using our space systems to locate and attack their forces on the ground and at sea.

[BiggJawn]

11. The Romulans and Klingons, of course....

Then the Cardassians after that...

And the Ferengi come in to mop up and take ownership of us all...

Our only hope will be to infect as many of them with the Clap and Syph as we can.....

[malmapus]

12. they're nothing...its The Borg we should worry about

You will be assimilated into the collective, resistance is futile

[BiggJawn]

13. Shit, that's already happening!

"Support Our Troops"
"Support our Prezteldunce"
"Be vigilant, but go SHOPPING!"

"Look! over HERE! Bart's Aunt is a LESBIAN!!!"

Resistance is Futile, but that's not gonna keep me from trying....

[edbermac]

21. We should declare war against Betazed!

Unfortunately I'd surrender in a heartbeat...ooohhh, assimilate me NOW!!!...:evilgrin:

[no_hypocrisy]

8. Risk of knocking out satellites of business competititon of U.S.

business as well. Say, Iran has rights to use a German satellite that allows for international celphone use in Germany as well as Iran, and our military knocks it out, then U.S. business can try to compete with their inept celphone towers in Germany and Iran.

Lots of stuff floating around in space doesn't belong to a particular country anymore. Like Ned Beatty said in "Network", there aren't any governments or countries anymore. Just money and business.

[Redstone]

9. Does anyone think for one second that we really

shelved development of the ASAT missiles we were developing in the 1970s (we claimed to have done this in accordance with a treaty or two).

Unlike the silly Star Wars ICBM interceptors that never pass a test (and very likely never will), the ASAT stuff was well on the way to being operational and effective; satellites orbit in nice predictable paths, unlike ICBMs, which and come from many different directions and have many different flight paths.


Redstone

[colonel odis]

14. is it about "waging war" in space, or enriching potential contractors?

hmmmm... i know which i'd guess.

[nolabels]

15. Satellites are a potent tool and killer satellites are a very ...........

destabilizing influence. Other than that I would say it's all about the money also



http://www.space4peace.org/

[colonel odis]

22. who wants to bet halliburton has a subsidiary in the satellite business.

n/t

[LeftHander]

16. Just no fighting in the war room....nt

[rucky]

17. Cool! Space wars! With lazers TZOOOO, TZOOOO, TZOOOO!!!!

Thanks Space Command. You make me feel like I'm seven again.

[jmcgowanjm]

19. Meanwhile, the Russians are the only ones who can get into space

The Russians are ahead in every
missile development cat.

Iskander-
the complex is meant ' for covertly preparing and
launching effective missile strikes at small-size targets
of particular importance.

Research carried out by specialists from the leading
Russian military science centers has shown that the lskander-
E missile complex is 5 to 8 times better than its
foreign analogues (We're talking Patriot) in terms of the "effectiveness-cost"
criterion. As for its tactical and technical characteristics, it
also poses a great improvement on the existing Russian
tactical missile complexes. Capable of accomplishing tasks
connected with the use of non-nuclear warheads, it's the
world's first complex equipped with two-missile
launch installation. Weighing 3800 kilos each,
controlled throughout the trajectory
of their flight, equipped with various systems of correction
and self-targeting, its missiles are capable of overcoming
the enemy's anti-missile defences and hitting targets at
a distance of 280 kilometers.

http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/russia/theater/ss-26.htm

[MadHound]

20. This is so stupid on so many levels

First off, who are they going to fight? I mean, isn't the space station up there the "International Space Station". What, we're going to take it over for our very own?

Second, and probably most important, is that if they persue this foolishness, they will close off space travel to future generations. Why you ask? Space debris! There are literally hundreds of thousands of objects in space, orbiting our world. They range in size from the size of a pinhead to large objects that are measured in tonnage. Most of these have untracked orbits, ones that vary radically from week to week. Sure, those orbits decay over time, and this items burn up, but we are putting junk out in space at a rate faster than it is being destroyed. The problem is becoming so dire that some experts are predicting that space will be closed to us within twenty five years because we won't be able to launch without the vehicle getting fatally hit by a piece of space junk.

And yet we're wanting to conduct war in space, shooting up others' satellites, contributing even more waste to circle our planet. Damn dumb fools, but of course we knew that already. Still, it amazes me no end what depths of idiocy these people will go to.

[PATRICK]

23. It is hard indeed to sort out the insanity

Underfunding NASA and science education. Strangling the defense budget in ground adventures while the hi-tech vulnerabilities will be as open as the Internet. The boondoggle unworkable gadgetry of a science or new world geopolitics the "planners" seem fundamentally incapable of understanding.

I think it stems from a certain grand simple-minded agenda, simply sold on articles of enthusiastic fantasy faith. Maybe it is worthwhile trying to understand but just maybe they need to be brought down to earth and stifled in the crib.

Since they are fighting WWIII on two fronts they are immediately doomed to lose. The classic conquest by ground gambit is supposed to fuel loot to funnel into the second front, "outer space". However bad are the quagmires on the ground, I see the real "Russian front" as this flight of fantasy and unworkable ignorance into abused science. It is going to be catastrophic. There is no previous precedent so we cry out how dumb and hubristic this is. This will be a unique catastrophe which none of the movers are even qualified to imagine much less understand.

All taxpayers moved by fear and glory to make our sole foray into the future a bloody cartoon of waste and nonsense step forward and eat your children.

You build weapons you will have war whether the weapons work or not. Build hope and you will have peace.

[Canuckistanian]

24. That's it. We're(Canadians) out of missile defense for good

With a clear, concise quote like this, we've got ammunition against paticipating in missile defense.

[Kitsune]

25. Didn't we sign a treaty against militarizing space?

Oh, wait...forgot who we're talking about for a minute. Who cares about little things like treaties.

[tabasco]

26. I welcome the arrival of our friends who can stop this.

[LiberallyInclined]

27. then neither will anyone else.

china, for instance...

[shadowknows69]

28. Ok it's time

to build one huge arena where the war pigs can go use their toys on each other and leave the rest of us who just want to breathe and eat and fuck right the hell alone.