DoD News Briefing
Thursday, March 12, 1998 - 2 p.m.
Mr. Kenneth H. Bacon, ASD (PA)
..................
Q: A completely unrelated question which was forwarded to me by my colleagues at CNN in Atlanta, where I believe they have gone well past the asteroid threat on alpha level. Is there a role for the U.S. military in terms of "nudging rogue asteroids off...(inaudible)"
Q: I wondered about that.
A: No. One of the great things about being an avid newspaper reader is that you learn new things to worry about every day. Today when I read the papers I learned that in 30 years I'm going to have to worry about the possibility that an asteroid may pass within some miles -- many thousands of miles away as I understand it -- of the earth. If I read the stories correctly.
Asteroids clearly are something that we have to take seriously, but I'm not sure we have to take them seriously every single day. That seemed to be the import of this story, as I read it.
As you know, NASA is the chief of asteroid police in the galaxy of our government, and they have the responsibility for looking out for asteroids. They have recently been directed by Congress to investigate the possibility of near earth collisions. That would be a collision between an asteroid and the earth. We will cooperate with them in any way that we can help them, but it's mainly their job.
Q: Ken, you're responsible for anti-asteroids. I mean it's one thing to wonder about and another thing... Where are we on our anti-asteroid program? That's what I want to know.
A: I can admit to you that we are not very far along in our anti-asteroid program now. But I want to point out that this threat is 30 years away. It's not supposed to happen until 1998, and in fact they have a specific time and day... I'm sorry 2028. They have a specific day and time, as I understand it.
Q: I plan to be here.
A: I plan to watch you on TV... Ask your questions about asteroids.
Q: Does Joint Vision 2010 take this threat into account?
A: This is outside the realm of 2010 even.
Look, we all have read accounts of the Gulf of Mexico being created by a collision with an asteroid. We've all read accounts of what may have triggered ice ages and incredibly dramatic changes in our climate and life on earth thousands of years ago. So asteroids are something that should be taken very seriously and they are being taken very seriously, primarily by NASA.
Thirty years gives us time to look at various options. That's how we will spend much of the next 30 years, looking at various options. It is conceivable that science will be able to come up with ways to deflect asteroids. You've probably read the comments of many astronomers talking about ways in which we might be able to deflect the path of an asteroid. I'm sure that this is something that not only the United States but the international community will pay great attention to -- and should. If it is within the realm of science to do something that we've never been able to do before in order to protect the earth, certainly science should rise to the occasion and grasp that opportunity. I'm sure that's what will be happening over the next decades.
Q: A little sooner in our sphere of things of interest, as the probable author, will the Secretary be making a major policy speech at the Press Club next Tuesday?
A: I think the speech will be quite an interesting speech, and I think it will be newsworthy and I recommend you be there or listen to it.
Q: The Prime Minister of Thailand is coming to town, (inaudible), the end of this week. Industry sources are saying that a deal has been worked out on the F-18's to Thailand. Can you shed any light on it?
A: If there is any deal worked out, it's something that he and the President will discuss I'm sure, so it would be premature for me to discuss it. We made it very clear, Secretary Cohen made it very clear on his trip to Thailand in January that we are doing our best to work with Thailand to devise a solution that eases, that recognizes its economic problems, and we have been working hard with Thailand to come up with a solution. We continue to do that work.
Q: Have you found another buyer, meaning an outside buyer for...
A: I think you're trying to put me in some back door answer to your earlier question and I'm going to refuse to go in the back door.
Q: Are the U.S. Marines going to buy them?
A: Charlie, now you're trying to find a window to put me through to answer the question and I'm not going to climb through the window.
Q: In the meeting with Secretary Cohen and Annan today, did they discuss Kosovo and the possibility of increasing the size of that UNPROFOR...?
A: They did not discuss that. They focused almost exclusively on Iraq.
Press: Thank you.
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