National Defense October 1, 2001
Will the "Bad Guys" Shoot Down U.S. Satellites?
By Elizabeth G. Book
"There's nothing for the U.S. to shoot at in space," said space analyst John Pike of globalsecurity.org, arguing that the United States does not need to put up weapons in space. Pike spoke at the Cato Institute conference on military and space, in Washington, D.C. He said, in turn, the "bad guys" have plenty of things to shoot at in space, referring to enemies of the United States. However, Pike warned the ground stations that monitor satellites in space are more vulnerable than the satellites. If North Korea's military wanted to send troops to attack those stations, it could easily do so, he said.
The United States has three satellite monitoring ground stations: in Washington, D.C.; Hawaii and the United Kingdom. "Ground stations are easier and cheaper to attack," agreed Cato's Charles Pena. "The U.S. has more to lose by making space an extended battle space," Pena added.
He said the United States should focus on countering the threat of micro-satellites that China is developing, and also on deploying anti-jamming capabilities.
Peter Huessy, missile defense expert at the National Defense University Foundation in Washington, D.C. countered Pike's and Pena's statements by saying the United States has to protect its space assets to avoid a "Pearl Harbor in space.
Copyright 2001 National Defense Industrial Association
