China Secretly Fires Lasers To Disable U.S. Satellites

[formercia]

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7005024630

Report: China Secretly Fires Lasers To Disable U.S. Satellites

September 29, 2006 5:33 p.m. EST

Julie Farby - All Headline News Staff Writer

Beijing, China (AHN) - China has secretly fired powerful laser weapons designed to disable American spy satellites by "blinding" their sensitive surveillance devices.

The previously unreported attacks have been kept secret by the Bush administration for fear that it would damage attempts to co-opt China in diplomatic offensives against North Korea and Iran.

The military affairs publication Defense News reports that there had been a fierce internal battle within Washington over whether to make the attacks public. In the end, the Pentagon's annual assessment of the growing Chinese military build-up barely mentioned the threat.

"After a contentious debate, the White House directed the Pentagon to limit its concern to one line," Defense News said.

--snip--

[ck4829]

1. K&R

Bush wants it kept secret, let's expose it.

[Ezlivin]

2. Please test it on the Fox News satellite

Just so we can be sure that it really works.

[madokie]

3. I read an article in the local paper last week I think it was

I'll have to kick and recommend this as it is very important.

[lonestarnot]

4. Chinamen gett'n jiggy with the satelites.

[peacetalksforall]

5. One year and a couple of months ago our own NSC issued a

document that included the finding that Iran wouldn't have nuclear bombs for ten years. No decent human being involved in nuclear weapon studies thinks Iran can be ready with nuclear weapons for years - one said three years at the most if everything fell into place perfectly.

Well, ships are headed to the Gulf of Hormuz, soldiers are being told they are gong to Iran, over a year ago we were told their were some kind of undercover troops in Iran. This PNAC admin only needs some ridiculous excuse and we're in there - for the benefit of PNAC at the expense of innocent people.

What does it mean?

Where is our superiority?

We now torture, we now deny rights, we now 'disappear' people - some in Lear jets.

SO NOW we have a country with the technology to take out our satellites and the country is OUR CREDITOR.

[lonestarnot]

7. But China won't fit on the Axis, too many people, they'll break the axle.

[SammyWinstonJack]

6. K&R

[sweetheart]

8. cool!

Good for them if they don't want to be overflown by nosy watchers. A few laser blindings
could reduce the US space fleet in no time, surely they have the power turned down, but
if it was cranked, who would eat the roasted satellite?

[formercia]

15. Testing...testing

set lasers on stun.

[w4rma]

17. No. Not cool. (nt)

[sweetheart]

18. big kids with big laser pointers

its hardly like new technology anymore, and really, given who's in charge, can you blame them.

[ContraBass Black]

9. This isn't a secret.

If we pass satellites directly over their country, why wouldn't they fire at them?

[formercia]

11. Open Skies Treaty

http://www.state.gov/t/ac/rls/fs/2004/33147.htm


is the framework but China hasn't signed on yet.
Origin and Purpose

The Treaty on Open Skies entered into force on January 1, 2002, and currently has 30 States Parties. The Treaty establishes a regime of unarmed aerial observation flights over the entire territory of its participants. The Treaty is designed to enhance mutual understanding and confidence by giving all participants, regardless of size, a direct role in gathering information about military forces and activities of concern to them. Open Skies is one of the most wide-ranging international efforts to date to promote openness and transparency of military forces and activities. The original concept of mutual aerial observation was proposed by President Eisenhower in 1955; the Treaty itself was an initiative of President George H.W. Bush in 1989. The Treaty was negotiated by the then-members of NATO and the Warsaw Pact, and was signed in Helsinki, Finland, on March 24, 1992. The United States ratified it in 1993. This Treaty is not related to civil-aviation open skies agreements.

Membership

The 30 States Parties to the Open Skies Treaty are: Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom, Ukraine, and United States. Kyrgyzstan has signed but not yet ratified. The Treaty depositaries are Canada and Hungary.

The Treaty is of unlimited duration and open to accession by other States. States of the former Soviet Union that have not already become States Parties to the Treaty may accede to it at any time. Applications from other interested States are subject to a consensus decision by the Open Skies Consultative Commission (OSCC), the Vienna-based organization charged with facilitating implementation of the Treaty, to which all States Parties belong. Four states have acceded to the Treaty since entry into force: Finland, Sweden, Latvia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina. The OSCC has also approved applications for accession by Lithuania, Estonia, Slovenia, and Croatia. Croatia ratified the Treaty but has not yet deposited its instrument of ratification. Cyprus�s application for accession is pending before the OSCC.

[NobleCynic]

12. So long story short

China is under no legal obligation to not fire upon the satelites?

This is going to get ugly when China makes a grab at Kazakhstan oil.

[mom cat]

10. I always wonder why articles like this come out just before the elections.

Could it be FEAR! That is all they have left and money for lies.

[formercia]

13. according to the article

the Administration wasn't keen on publicizing this. They are interested in attacking Iran.

[Toots]

14. Now who could ever have anticipated this????

Certainly the Bush* Cabal could not have. They have never anticipated anything in their lives...:shrug: I mean come on.... Big surprise here....:shrug:

[farmbo]

16. All our satellites have been blinded but...look over there.. A Terrorist!!

:grr:

When will the grownups get back in charge?