- WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- U.S.
President George W. Bush is planning to put the first weapons in space
despite broad international opposition, budget papers sent yesterday to
the American Congress showed.
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- Bush's $2.4 trillion (U.S.) spending plans for the fiscal
year starting Oct. 1 include an unspecified sum for developing and testing
"advanced, lightweight, space-based (missile) interceptor components,"
the Pentagon's Missile Defence Agency said.
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- In its budget overview, the agency said it was seeking
$47 million to start "technology development" of such weapons
and others that could be phased into a multi-layered U.S. missile shield
starting in January, 2012.
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- In the two years thereafter, the Pentagon aims to base
a handful of missile interceptors in orbit for testing, the agency said.
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- Any such setup, whether space-based lasers or interceptor
rockets in orbit, could give the United States the means to attack enemy
satellites as well as incoming warheads.
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- The 2005 budget is the first to set aside funds to start
developing the kind of weapons former U.S. president Ronald Reagan had
in mind when he called for a space-based Strategic Defence Initiative in
1983.
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- Critics decried Reagan's vision as "Star Wars"
for fear it would launch an arms race in space.
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- Bush proposed a $401.7 billion defence budget for 2005,
and the White House said he was likely to seek up to $50 billion more for
military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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- The budget would increase U.S. military spending by 7
per cent over the current year.
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- And it would steadily boost spending to $487.8 billion
in five years despite growing budget deficits.
-
- In addition to the deficit issue, the budget is certain
to stir bitter debate in Congress over Bush's call to boost funding for
missile defence by $1.2 billion to $10.2 billion next year.
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- It also would nearly double current funding to modernize
the army and increase spending on unmanned spy planes for use in Iraq and
to help fight what Bush calls the war on terrorism.
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- Democrats and some U.S. allies have criticized the plan
to quickly begin deploying a limited anti-missile shield, warning it has
not been adequately tested.
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- Democrats also criticized Bush's plans to slash funding
for scores of U.S. government programs.
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reserved.
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- ===== "Who controls the past controls the future:
who controls the present controls the past." -George Orwell, '1984'
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