WASHINGTON, Jan. 11 — The United States should prepare to put self-defense weapons in space despite widespread opposition abroad, a panel appointed by Congress said Thursday.
THE PANEL, headed by Donald Rumsfeld until last month when he was nominated defense secretary by President-elect George W. Bush, said the president should retain “the option to deploy weapons in space to deter threats to and, if necessary, defend against attacks on U.S. interests.”
The panel said U.S. policymakers must direct “development of doctrine, concepts of operation and capabilities for space, including weapons systems that operate in space and that can defend assets in orbit and augment air, land and sea forces.”
The panel was set up by Congress to assess space operations in support of U.S. national security. Members were appointed by Democratic and Republican leaders of the House and Senate armed services committees and by Defense Secretary William Cohen in consultation with CIA Director George Tenet.
The 13-member panel was headed by Rumsfeld until Dec. 28, when he stepped down to prepare for his confirmation hearings.
Rumsfeld did not sign the final report, which was endorsed unanimously by the other 12 commissioners. He would be in a position to start implementing the recommendations soon after Bush takes office Jan. 20 if he is confirmed by the Senate, as expected.
“We certainly think he’s well aware of the problem,” said commission member David Jeremiah, a retired admiral who was vice chairman of the joint chiefs of staff from 1990 to 1994.
'SPACE PEARL HARBOR’
The panel said Washington should review existing arms control obligations “in light of a growing need to extend deterrent capabilities to space.”
Any step toward militarizing space is bound to stir problems with China, Russia and others seeking to bar space-based lasers or other arms for a potential multilayered U.S. national missile defense system under development.
The panel said the United States — more dependent on space to run its high-tech military and civilian infrastructure than any other country — was a prime candidate for a “Space Pearl Harbor,” a reference to the devastating 1941 Japanese surprise attack that brought the United States into World War II.
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-Administrator / Owner
"Everything was true. God was an astronaut. Oz really is over the
rainbow. ...and Midian is where the monsters live." -Nightbreed
THE PANEL, headed by Donald Rumsfeld until last month when he was nominated defense secretary by President-elect George W. Bush, said the president should retain “the option to deploy weapons in space to deter threats to and, if necessary, defend against attacks on U.S. interests.”
The panel said U.S. policymakers must direct “development of doctrine, concepts of operation and capabilities for space, including weapons systems that operate in space and that can defend assets in orbit and augment air, land and sea forces.”
The panel was set up by Congress to assess space operations in support of U.S. national security. Members were appointed by Democratic and Republican leaders of the House and Senate armed services committees and by Defense Secretary William Cohen in consultation with CIA Director George Tenet.
The 13-member panel was headed by Rumsfeld until Dec. 28, when he stepped down to prepare for his confirmation hearings.
Rumsfeld did not sign the final report, which was endorsed unanimously by the other 12 commissioners. He would be in a position to start implementing the recommendations soon after Bush takes office Jan. 20 if he is confirmed by the Senate, as expected.
“We certainly think he’s well aware of the problem,” said commission member David Jeremiah, a retired admiral who was vice chairman of the joint chiefs of staff from 1990 to 1994.
'SPACE PEARL HARBOR’
The panel said Washington should review existing arms control obligations “in light of a growing need to extend deterrent capabilities to space.”
Any step toward militarizing space is bound to stir problems with China, Russia and others seeking to bar space-based lasers or other arms for a potential multilayered U.S. national missile defense system under development.
The panel said the United States — more dependent on space to run its high-tech military and civilian infrastructure than any other country — was a prime candidate for a “Space Pearl Harbor,” a reference to the devastating 1941 Japanese surprise attack that brought the United States into World War II.
Want to learn more? http://www.msnbc.com/news/514772.asp
------------------
-Administrator / Owner
"Everything was true. God was an astronaut. Oz really is over the
rainbow. ...and Midian is where the monsters live." -Nightbreed