“Space Weapons Ban” Next On Obama’s First 100 Day To-Do List
Challenges loom as Obama seeks space weapons ban
WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama’s pledge to seek a worldwide ban on weapons in space marks a dramatic shift in U.S. policy while posing the tricky issue of defining whether a satellite can be a weapon.
Moments after Obama’s inauguration last week, the White House website was updated to include policy statements on a range of issues, including a pledge to restore U.S. leadership on space issues and seek a worldwide ban on weapons that interfere with military and commercial satellites.
It also promised to look at threats to U.S. satellites, contingency plans to keep information flowing from them, and what steps are needed to protect spacecraft against attack.
The issue is being closely watched by Lockheed Martin Corp, Boeing Co, Northrop Grumman Corp, the biggest U.S. defense contractors, and other companies involved in military and civilian space contracts.
Watchdog groups and even some defense officials welcomed the statement, which echoed Obama’s campaign promises, but said it would take time to hammer out a comprehensive new strategy.
Enacting a global ban on space weapons could prove even harder.
For instance, it was difficult to define exactly what constituted a “weapon” because even seemingly harmless weather tracking satellites could be used to slam into and disable other satellites, said two U.S. officials involved in the area who were not authorized to speak publicly.
Michael Krepon, co-founder of the private Henry L. Stimson think tank on space, cited recent reports that the Pentagon was using two smaller satellites launched in 2006 to fly near a dead missile-warning satellite and investigate what happened. The Defense Support Program satellite, DSP-23, built by Northrop, failed on orbit in mid-September.
“This incident clarified how important it is to have rules of the road for technologies that could have many different applications,” Krepon said. “There are lots of benign reasons to have a closer look at an object in space. But we all know that when satellites make close passes they could also do things that are not benign.”
Two years ago, China used a missile to destroy one of its own satellites in a test that raised worries about a new arms race in space. The incident may have created thousands of pieces of debris. Last year, the United States also destroyed one of its own satellites, saying its toxic fuel tank could pose a danger if it fell to Earth.
MORE COOPERATION?
A defense official, who also asked not to be named, said the Obama administration had not yet held briefings for top officials working on military space issues, but it was clear that the focus would shift toward more diplomatic initiatives.
Work on classified projects involving an “active” military response to attacks against U.S. satellites might be halted in favor of more monitoring and passive protection measures, he said. He declined to give any more details.
The Obama administration also faces tough decisions on many multibillion-dollar satellite programs facing cost overruns and schedule delays, particularly at a time when rapid increases in military spending are grinding to a halt.
“There’s still a lot of wiggle room” in the administration’s statement on military space, said analyst Victoria Samson with the private Center for Defense Information. “But just the sheer fact that they are discussing it represents a real shift from the Bush administration.”
“It’s not going to happen immediately, but it seems as though the wheels are in motion to initiate some sort of cooperative measure,” Samson said.
Another defense official, who asked not to be named, said the new administration would work through the complex military space issues during a defense review to be completed by September, and as part of a space report due in December.
The new policy language used by the Obama administration was “impossibly broad,” the official said. It also failed to acknowledge recent work by U.S. officials on guidelines for space debris and conduct by nations active in space.
Even Obama acknowledged during his election campaign that achieving a global treaty banning weapons in space could be a daunting challenge. A simpler and quicker solution, he suggested at that time, might be a “code of conduct for responsible space-faring nations.”
In response to questions from the Council for a Livable World, Obama said one key element of any such code would be “a prohibition against harmful interference against satellites.”
(Reuters)
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What a fucking IDIOT!!!
Let’s just ask China and Russia to sign some bullshit agreement and HOPE they’ll honor their word. This ass clown is going to largely contribute to America’s downfall. My grandparents got the fuck out of China when the Communists took over, and my wife got a taste of communism, being born and raised in the USSR. These totalitarian governments don’t play around, and they both want to be THE world leader - especially China. But then again, many of the liberal FUCK-TARDS and lost sheep in America voted for UH-Bama. So they’ll get what they deserve. I’ll have my Benelli and .45 ready when they day of reckoning comes.
Imagine there’s no Heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today
Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace
You may say that I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
You may say that I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will live as one
It sounds nice, but mohammad, assorted commie bastards, and various power mad dictators don’t play that way.
if we do this then maybe Russia will love us again. you guys remember? like the good old days. Obama is a moron and he is dangerous for this country.
Im still in disbelief, how did this fucker get elected??
He is so openly anti-American!
He is wasting no time in fulfilling his promises, no matter how unrealistic they are.
He doesnt have to worry about reelection because the stimulas’s they pass will solidify wins in the next election. We all know now that our “elections” are bought.
osama is getting what he wants….the downfall of this country…too bad no one is keeping him in check unlike when you or I apply for a job and have to prove we are eligible to work here in the U S of A ….fucken sad
Odummer isn’t too smart is he? Noit very worldly. My guess is in Indonesia, the military Junta doesn’t let in much light.
One of the big problems with hiring foreigners.
“Even Obama acknowledged during his election campaign that achieving a global treaty banning weapons in space could be a daunting challenge. A simpler and quicker solution, he suggested at that time, might be a “code of conduct for responsible space-faring nations.â€
If you can’t achieve or enforce a global treaty banning weapons in space, then what is the point of a “code of conduct for responsible space-faring nations.†It is just as unenforceable as a treaty, so it is meaningless.
Ah, I forgot; liberal treaties and codes don’t need to be enforceable or workable - they just need to look good, and make it appear that the liberals that set them up are doing something about it 
“But just the sheer fact that they are discussing it represents a real shift from the Bush administration.â€
Because that’s what’s really important - hating BOOOSH!!! adequately, as directed.
A space weapons ban is pointless nonsense. Placing weapons in space is actually a dumb idea militarily - it just makes them vulnerable. Look at the examples they point out of satellites destroyed in orbit. This was donefrom the ground in every case. Putting a ban on “weapons in space” doesn’t change a damn thing, it just makes Obambi look like some sort of pacifist leader to the brain-dead masses who never actually stop to think about what the TV tells them to think.
Oh lord help us
American Woman (bitter clinger to my guns and religion), He won with the help of acorn. By the way, they will get $4 billion from the bailout to set up shop. I bet they’ll have a satellite arm in Mexico City by 2010.
We need to gather together about 58 million people and go into DC and see if we can get the politicians attend.
oh this is a brilliant idea
let’s just give up our ability to have a monopoly on space weapons and hope that countries like Russia don’t develop any
what is this guy thinking???
It’s amazing how much expertise one can acquire by being a community organizer…
I’m sorry, but who wants a fair fight in war?
Adding to my last post (since I didn’t elaborate):
These politicians are so freaking stupid if they think other countries will follow these rules.. Really all its going to do is cripple our ability to take weapons and our military’s expertise to the next level. We’re going to be behind in the weapons race… Thats a bad place to be..
Prizefighters and linebackers do not get mugged. It is foolish to cut back on our military and defense systems. Current gov’t is moving fast to disarm us and make us vulnerable. Stinking morons.
The threat from outside of the USA has always been there. Now the greatest threat to the USA “is will the treasonous Libs in power implode this great county”?
Time will tell.