Pentagon's plans to militarize space have definitely emerged

[G_j]

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page/GH18Aa01.html

Aug 18, 2005

Star Wars: Empires strike back
By Giuseppe Anzera

<snip>

Turn toward space militarization

The Pentagon's plans to militarize space have definitely emerged. In mid-May, the US Air Force formally asked President George W Bush to issue a presidential directive that allows Washington to deploy defensive and offensive weapons into orbit. Formally, the new directive was necessary to replace a precedent decree (PDD-NSC-49 - National Space Policy) issued by the Bill Clinton administration, which forbids the indiscriminate militarization of space. While the decree has not yet been issued, speculation over the Pentagon's move already hit the news.

After the 2002 unilateral US withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, worries were raised about Washington's possible start of such a program, for it could transform space into a new battlefield. The US Air Force request, coupled with the April launch of the XSS-11 orbital micro-satellite, increased the concerns of observers and world powers. XSS-11 is specifically designed to disturb other states' military/reconnaissance or communication satellites.

A discontinuance of US traditional policy about the restricted (eg peaceful) use of space could engender a new arms race - which appears economically and technologically challenging and way beyond many states' reach.

Rods from God
On the technological level, the Pentagon's planning is in the advanced stage: some projects - aimed at space weaponization - have already been in place for some time. Among the (partially known) Pentagon's new plans, the two most interesting projects are the "Global Strike" program and the "Rods from God" program. Global Strike involves the employment of military space planes capable of carrying about 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds) of high-precision weapons (with a circular error probability less than three meters) with the primary use of striking enemy military bases and command and control facilities in any point of the world.


..more..

[Agent Orange]

1. PNAC again?

"...Control the new "international commons" of space and "cyberspace", and pave the way for the creation of a new military service-U.S. Space Forces-- with the mission of space control..."

Page 12--PNAC: Rebuilding Americas Defenses: Strategy, Forces and Resources for a New Century
http://www.newamericancentury.org/RebuildingAmericasDefenses.pdf

[ClintonTyree]

2. If there's a battlefield to be found..............

the neo-cons will find it and manipulate it. These war hungry thugs must be stopped. What the hell can we do to stop them? 2006 is still a long way off, and if we don't reverse the numbers in Congress then we're screwed. bush will have until 2008 to embroil the U.S. in any and all wars he wants, and believe me, he wants a LOT of them.

[soothsayer]

3. Rods from God?

Good grief!

[G_j]

4. ...real life psychos n/t