- The new space policy in the United States might see President
George W Bush allow the Pentagon greater authority to deploy space-based
weapons, media reports have quoted sources in administration and defence
experts as saying. According to reports, the new policy, being jointly
drafted by the Defence Department, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA) and others, might see the proliferation of offensive weapons in
space.
-
- Issued by former US president Bill Clinton in 1996, the
policy first aimed at using satellites for defensive purposes like keeping
an eye on disarmament pacts and environmental cleanups. But security officials
showed concerns about the chances of military and global communications
satellites being attacked by enemy nations and said that with more nations
launching satellites, the development of space weapons might not be far
behind.
-
- But industry watchers have warned such a move by United
States might actually result in an arms race with China, Russia, and other
countries. According to sources, the US already possesses the blueprints
for space-based weapon systems and if such a policy comes through, the
creation of such weapons might take as little as 18 months. Space weapons
include small satellites attacking other satellites, and laser and radio
waves weapons as also small planes that drop destructive material on ground
targets.
-
- "It certainly has the potential to be a significant
moment if the US embraces a policy that advocates space weapons. That contributes
to other states being interested," warned said Karl Mueller, a defence
policy analyst at Rand Corp, a firm handling research for the government.
-
- His contentions are echoed by Theresa Hitchens, president,
Center for Defense Information. "I fear it is going to change the
direction of US space policy that has been steady since Eisenhower was
president. Up to now, this has been a campaign by the Air Force to have
the freedom to do what they want to do in space. This will, for the first
time in US history, give them the go-ahead," she said, adding, "Let's
think of a world where US has 'death stars' everywhere in space that are
going over countries every 10 minutes. Do you think other countries are
going to accept that?"
-
- However, the White House has denied trying to 'weaponize
space'. "Let me make that clear right off the top, because you asked
about the weaponization of space, and the policy that we're talking about
is not looking at weaponizing space," said Scott McClellan, President
Bush's media secretary.
-
- However, he added, "Certainly during the last eight
or nine years, there have been a number of domestic and international developments
that have changed the threats and challenges facing our space capabilities.
There are countries that have taken an interest in space. They have looked
at technologies that could threaten our space systems and so you obviously
need to take that into account when you,re updating the policy." McClellan
said that the US believed in 'the peaceful exploration of space'.
|