GlobalSecurity.org In the News

Full Coverage In-depth coverage about U.S. Military Related News Stories · Rumsfeld: No Decision Yet on U.S. Two-War Strategy - Reuters (Jun 21, 2001) · Rumsfeld Seeks Joint Chiefs Chair - AP (Jun 21, 2001) · U.S. Says Difficult to Move Drills Off Okinawa - Reuters (Jun 21, 2001) · Air Force Space Command Plan Warfare - AP (Jun 21, 2001) · White House reportedly wants tobacco settlement - CNN (Jun 20, 2001) More... Opinion & Editorials · U.S. Still Must Be Ready for War x 2 - Los Angeles Times (Jun 21, 2001) · A Policy for the Timid - Washington Post (Jun 19, 2001) · Army beret plan backfires - Denver Post (Jun 19, 2001) More... Related Web Sites · The United States Army · National World War II Memorial - to be the first national memorial dedicated to all who served during World War II. · National Coalition to Save Our Mall - argues for an alternative site for a WWII memorial, in order to preserve open space on the National Mall. · DefenseLINK - official DOD site that features news, links, and the defense almanac, with sections on forces and weapons, and the number of people on active duty. · Trail of a Bullet - includes reporting and opinion pieces on depleted uranium, which NATO forces used in Kosovo and Bosnia, and has links to background material. From the Christian Science Monitor. More... Magazine Articles · How Spy Flies Will Work - Howstuffworks (Jun 15, 2001) · Bush Shows Foreign Policy Muscles in Brussels - Time Magazine (Jun 13, 2001) · Fashion Forward March! Finally, the Army's Hats are Black - Time Magazine (Jun 12, 2001) More... Audio · Foot-and-Mouth Disrupts U.S. Military Exercises - NPR (Jun 14, 2001) · Pentagon Runs Short on Fiscal 2001 Funds - NPR (Jun 1, 2001) · Memorial to World War II to be built in D.C. - FSNtv.com (May 29, 2001) More... Video · President Bush's Memorial Day speech - MSNBC (May 28, 2001) · Lt. Shane Osborn receives the Distinguished Flying Cross - MSNBC (May 18, 2001) · Video captures Osprey crash - CNN (Apr 21, 2001) News Sources · American Forces Press Service · InsideDefense · Journal of Electronic Defense · Stars and Stripes · The Stars and Stripes Related Full Coverage · Missile Defense System · Puerto Rico & Vieques Controversy · Gulf War Syndrome · Depleted Uranium Controversy · USS Cole Yahoo! Categories · Memorial Day · U.S. Military · U.S. Navy Submarines More...

U.S. Activates Air Force Squadrons for Space Control

By Jim Wolf

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has set up two Air Force squadrons in anticipation of having to defend against attacks on commercial satellites and other spacecraft, a top military officer told Congress on Wednesday.

``To ensure our forces are fully prepared to defend against attacks on our space-based infrastructure, we have recently activated two new squadrons,'' said Army Lt. Gen. Edward Anderson, deputy commander of the U.S. Space Command.

The mission of the Air Force Space Command's new 527th Space Aggressor Squadron is to ``replicate the known capabilities of potential adversaries,'' he testified.

The unit -- with headquarters at Shriever Air Force Base in Colorado -- would play the role of the enemy in war games like that held at Shriever in January, the first of a series of Air Force exercises based on conflict in space, Anderson said.

The other start-up, the Peterson Air Force, Colorado-based 76th Space Control Squadron of the Air Force Space Command, is to ``explore future space control technologies by testing models and prototypes of counterspace systems with the goal of rapidly achieving space superiority,'' he said. It was activated on Jan. 22, according to an Air Force fact sheet.

Anderson's remarks, in testimony prepared for two panels of the House Armed Services Committee, reflected the growing importance attached to the use of space for national security purposes by President Bush (news - web sites)'s administration.

Citing growing U.S. reliance on satellites for everything from highway traffic management to supporting military operations and monitoring treaties, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld announced May 8 that he had tightened reporting lines for military space policy issues.

ORBITING WEAPONS

At the time, he denied suggestions that the changes -- which put the Air Force in charge of military space programs and created a space policy coordinating panel on the White House National Security Council -- were designed to lay the groundwork for the eventual orbiting of weapons such as lasers and missile interceptors.

The reshuffle grew out of a call this year from a congressionally mandated commission to elevate space on the U.S. national security agenda. Rumsfeld himself headed the panel until he was tapped to become Bush's defense secretary.

That so-called Commission to Assess U.S. National Security Space Management and Organization said conflict in space was inevitable. The president should retain ``the option to deploy weapons in space to deter threats to and, if necessary, defend against attacks on U.S. interests,'' it concluded.

Currently, TRW Inc., Lockheed Martin Inc. and Boeing Co. are teamed under an Air Force contract to build an experimental space-based laser that could become part of a future layered ballistic missile defense.

``The mere fact that the United States is developing means to employ force in space may serve as a significant deterrent,'' Anderson told the panels on military procurement and military research and development.

The deputy commander of the Peterson Air Force, Colorado-based U.S. Space Command said the United States was overdue to push up ``the space superiority throttle'' to protect what he estimated were the $60 billion worth of U.S. commercial satellites in orbit.

``We have left this throttle at idle for too long,'' Anderson said. ``Space is important enough to warrant a significant investment -- it is not just a higher hill.

``This is the medium crucial to our American military operations and one we'll have to fight for in the future,'' he added.

The U.S. national security-related space budget is difficult to peg, largely because of questions about which activities and their ground legs to include, according to John Pike, director of GlobalSecurity.org, an Alexandria, Virginia-based defense, space and intelligence policy group.

But Pike estimated the figure, including that for the space-related activities of U.S. spy agencies, totaled about $14 billion this fiscal year, down from Cold War highs of $16 billion or $17 billion in the mid 1980s.

News Resources Message Boards: Post/Read Msgs Conversations: Start a live discussion News Alerts: President Bush More Alerts: News Bulletins, News, Mobile, Stocks