"If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear" - George Orwell

Satellite Proliferation threatens US Military

Last week saw a briefing in Congress which would have been unthinkable a few years ago. Congressmen and the Center for Strategic and International Studies, issued the CSIS report "Preserving America's Strength in Satellite Technology".

Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld has called the War in Afghanistan, "The First Space-based War" for the reliance on satellite technology for communications, navigation, reconnaissance and command and control. But suddenly after twenty years of watching the US Space industry slide into bankruptcy, one company after another, the military have realized that they don't have the global bandwidth to play with their new found toys, such as the Predator. The lure of being able to fly reconnaissance missions half way around the world, then go home to watch the Redskins is a Pentagon dream come true. With the CIA tested ability to fly search and destroy missions with remotely piloted drones, pilots no longer need to risk being shot down, and can sit in military video arcades in Arlington, safe and secure.

Communications Satellites

The US military has also realized  that countries other than Russia and the US can build communications satellites. Tired of being given the run-around securing export licenses from the USA, for satellite components, many countries have developed production, and testing capabilities. The problem now is that some countries even prohibit use of US built technology, "It's not worth the trouble" pointed out a South East Asian manufacturer.  China now has the production capabilities for small efficient handsets, built
under sub contract for US and European Cellphone markets, rocket launchers, and satellite technology thanks to the Clinton Administration. It is now possible for China to consider matching, even jamming US military communication satellites, with the technology, and capabilities they posses. Russia is again building up it's space industry, realizing that what a US President promises, the US Congress may not deliver. There are over a dozen countries capable of creating a space-based communication network. Space communications are no longer the sole domain of the USA.

Imaging Satellites

The quality of the images from the recently launched Quickbird satellite has dismayed military planners, who demand the US military has "Shutter Control" over all satellites, regardless of who owns, or controls them. The 61 cm resolution images were classified Top Secret not many years ago, now they are available on the open market.  John Hamre, former Deputy Secretary of
Defence, told us that the US military must be protected, by all satellites shutting off in areas where, and when the US military is conducting operations!  The US demands sole control on intelligence interpretation. The Japanese are still smarting over the insistence that only US Intelligence images of Afghanistan only be used for coalition forces, and refused to allow Japan to buy images directly from Space Imaging, as the US had bought all images exclusively for it's own use. The huge loss of revenue for the commercial operator will no be repeated.

The report accepted that the US is dependent on space, and is facing a threat it does not like, and cannot stop. The hawks demand the US use it's Star Wars technology to blast Chinese, and Russian satellites out of orbit. Even the French SPOT, seen as undermining US  control of images. The report warns "A country cannot go blowing satellites out of the sky when they
displease it, and in any case the United States , which is more dependent on space than other nations, could regret a course of action that legitimized attacks on satellites." This gung-ho approach to bombing everything in space, as well as on the Earth, at which the US is displeased has brought an unexpected issue to light.

Star Wars Liability

If the US seeks to dominate Space with its new, and developing Missile Defence Shield, and tests rockets, lasers etc. by destroying spent rockets, and old US satellites, then the uncontrollable debris field from these explosions will be a serious threat to constellations such as GPS, Iridium, Teledesic and the proposed Gallileo, not to mention SPOT, Quickbird, and the weather satellites. George Bush may be Macho Man in Space, but firing his Space Guns, even to test them,  may destroy his navigation, reconnaissance, weather forecasting and really upset the rest of the world.

Alan Simpson - SatIntel, Washington, D.C.
 

AFI Research, The Ground Floor, 27 The Avenue, Newton Abbot, Devon, TQ12 2BZ, UK.
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Richard M. Bennett is the author of FIGHTING FORCES a review of the worlds leading Armies, including many in the Middle East, published in September 2001 and is available from Barrons of New York  www.barronseduc.com  ISBN 0-7641-5343-9  and the forthcoming ESPIONAGE An encyclopedia of Spies and Secrets, which will be available from Virgin Books later this year.

Richard Bennett Media also provides coverage of specialist domestic Political, Social, and Law & Order issues and acts as consultants for international Film and TV Companies on military and espionage history. If quoting from this Media Briefing in anyway, please ensure that you credit Richard Bennett Media at all times

The AFI Research website lists many of our Associates and Contributors including  'America goes to War' at Orbat.com  and the defence coverage of Milnet.com.

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