{"id":193070,"date":"2021-08-30T12:00:15","date_gmt":"2021-08-30T11:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=193070"},"modified":"2021-08-26T04:38:08","modified_gmt":"2021-08-26T03:38:08","slug":"insane-u-s-plan-to-spend-billions-on-weaponizing-space-makes-defense-contractors-jump-for-joy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2021\/08\/insane-u-s-plan-to-spend-billions-on-weaponizing-space-makes-defense-contractors-jump-for-joy\/","title":{"rendered":"Insane U.S. Plan to Spend Billions on Weaponizing Space Makes Defense Contractors Jump for Joy"},"content":{"rendered":"

But Rest of World Cowers in Horror at Prospect of New Arms Race Leading to World War III<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Weapons are already being developed for the first space war. [Source: thesun.co.uk]<\/p><\/div>25 Aug 2021 – <\/em>Imagine this scenario from the year 2045: The U.S. and China, after years of belligerence, go to war over control of the Taiwan straits; most of the battles are fought through cyber-attacks and space-based weapons systems that had been perfected over the previous decades.<\/p>\n

In a desperate maneuver, the U.S. activates its \u201crods from God\u201d\u2014a scheme developed in Project Thor involving telephone-pole-sized tungsten rods being dropped from orbit reaching a speed ten times the speed of sound [7,500 miles per hour] hitting with the force of nuclear weapons<\/a>\u2014and Beijing\u2019s military command centers and other significant targets are destroyed.<\/p>\n

\"Global-Security-2-Koz\"
\u201cRods from God\u201d weapon system. [Source: readingthepictgures.org<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The above scenario looks increasingly plausible given a) the growing prospect of war between the U.S. and China; and b) the growing militarization of space by the U.S.\u2014in violation of the landmark Outer Space Treaty of 1967 that sets aside space \u201cfor peaceful purposes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Space
China-U.S. rivalry for control over Outer Space. [Source: cnbc.com<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

U.S. Space Force and the Evisceration of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Donald Trump declared at a meeting of the National Space Council of the U.S. in 2018 that \u201cit is not enough to merely have an American presence in space, we must have American dominance in space<\/a>\u2026. I\u2019m hereby directing the Department of Defense and Pentagon to immediately begin the process necessary to establish a Space Force as the sixth branch of the armed forces \u2026 It is going to be something.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Trump
Donald Trump inspects the Space Force flag. [Source: japantimes.co<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n
\"United
U.S. Space Force patch. [Source: wikipedia.org<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Indeed, the U.S. Space Force, established in December 2019, is something<\/em>\u2014and can, if not will<\/em>, destroy the visionary Outer Space Treaty of keeping space for peace.<\/p>\n

The Outer Space Treaty<\/a> of 1967 was put together by the U.S., Great Britain and the former Soviet Union and has wide support from nations around the world. 111 countries are parties to the treaty, while another 23 have signed the treaty but have not completed ratification.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"A
Signing of 1967 Outer Space Treaty. [Source: theverge.com<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As Craig Eisendrath, who as a young U.S. State Department officer was involved in the treaty\u2019s creation, told me\u2014and I quote him in my book Weapons in Space<\/em><\/a>\u2014\u201cwe sought to de-weaponize space before it got weaponized \u2026 to keep war out of space.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\"Craig
Craig Eisendrath [Source: fnvw.org<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cThis foundational treaty has allowed for half a century of ever expanding peaceful activity in space, free from man-made threats,\u201d<\/a> writes Paul Meyer, in his chapter \u201cArms Control in Outer Space: A Diplomatic Alternative to Star Wars\u201d in the book Security in the Global Commons and Beyond<\/em>.[1]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

The Outer Space Treaty bars placement \u201cin orbit around the Earth any objects carrying nuclear weapons or any other kinds of weapons of mass destruction or from installing such weapons on celestial bodies.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A
Vice Chief of Space Operations General David Thompson swears in the first four enlisted recruits to the Space Force at Military Entrance Processing Station-Baltimore in Maryland on October 20, 2020. [Source: defensenews.com<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Biden Signs Off on Space Force<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Republican Trump\u2019s successor as U.S. president, Democrat Joe Biden, has not pulled back on the U.S. Space Force. As Defense News <\/em>headlined in 2021: \u201cWith Biden\u2019s \u2018full support,\u2019 the Space Force is officially here to stay.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

Its article opened: \u201cU.S. President Joe Biden will not seek to eliminate the Space Force and roll military space functions back into the Air Force, the White House confirmed.\u201d It continued: \u201cWhite House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters during a Feb. 3 briefing that the new service has the \u2018full support\u2019 of the Biden administration.\u201d And it went on: \u201c\u2018We\u2019re not revisiting the decision,\u2019 she said.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most Democrats in the U.S. Congress voted for the legislation providing for formation of the U.S. Space Force as pushed by Trump. All Republicans in the U.S. Congress voted for it.<\/p>\n

\"A
Rocket launches from New Zealand carrying experimental Air Force Research Laboratory Satellite into low earth orbit on July 29, 2021. [Source: c4isrnet.com<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

False Pretext<\/strong><\/h2>\n

For decades there has been an effort to extend the Outer Space Treaty and enact the Prevention of an Arms Race, the PAROS treaty, which would bar any <\/em>weapons in space.<\/p>\n

China, Russia (and U.S. neighbor Canada) have been leaders in seeking passage of the PAROS treaty. But the U.S.\u2014through administration after administration, Republican and Democrat\u2014has opposed the PAROS treaty and effectively vetoed it at the United Nations.<\/p>\n

Although the PAROS treaty has broad backing from nations around the world, it must move through the UN\u2019s Conference on Disarmament which functions on a consensual basis.<\/p>\n

A rationale for the U.S. Space Force now being claimed is that it is necessary to counter moves by China and Russia in space, particularly development of anti-satellite weapons.<\/p>\n

\"Space
U.S. space-based anti-satellite weapons. [Source: popularmechanics.com<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"China
The DF-21D medium range ballistic missile. The -C variant is believed to act as the ascent vehicle for a Chinese anti-satellite weapon system. [Source: popularmechanics.com<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

That is what a CNN report in August 2021, titled \u201cAn Exclusive Look into How Space Force Is Defending America,\u201d<\/a> centrally asserted. There was no mention in the six-minute-plus CNN piece of how China and Russia (and Canada) have led for decades in the push for PAROS, and how China and Russia in recent times have reiterated their calls for space to be weapons-free.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are calling on the international community to start negotiations and reach agreement on arms control in order to ensure space safety as soon as possible<\/a>,\u201d said the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Zhao Lijian, in April 2021. \u201cChina has always been in favor of preventing an arms race in space; it has been actively\u00a0promoting negotiations on a legally binding agreement on space arms control jointly with Russia.\u201d<\/p>\n

A day earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called for talks to create an \u201cinternational legally binding instrument\u201d<\/a> to ban the deployment of \u201cany types of weapons\u201d in space.\u00a0 Lavrov said: \u201cWe consistently believe that only a guaranteed prevention of an arms race in space will make it possible to use it for creative purposes, for the benefit of the entire mankind. We call for negotiations on the development of an international legally binding instrument that would prohibit the deployment of any types of weapons there, as well as the use of force or the threat of force.<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A
Russian Foreign Minister<\/em> Sergey Lavrov [Source: thefamouspeople.com<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Onward and Upward!<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Meanwhile, the U.S. Space Force drives ahead.<\/p>\n

It has requested a budget of $17.4 billion for 2020 to \u201cgrow the service,\u201d reports Air Force Magazine.<\/em><\/a> \u201cSpace Force 2022 Budget Adds Satellites, Warfighting Center, More Guardians,\u201d was the headline of its article. And in the first paragraph, it adds \u201cand fund more than $800 million in new classified programs.\u201d (\u201cGuardians\u201d is the name adopted by the U.S. Space Force in 2021 for its members.)<\/p>\n

\"A
Source: militarymachine.com<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One after another, U.S. Air Force bases are being renamed U.S. Space Force bases.<\/p>\n

\"Patrick
Newly renamed Space Force base at Cape Canaveral in Florida. [Source: spacecoastdaily.com<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A recruitment drive is under way.<\/p>\n

The U.S. Space Force \u201creceived its first offensive weapon \u2026 satellite jammers,\u201d reported American Military News<\/em> in 2020<\/a>. \u201cThe weapon does not destroy enemy satellites, but can be used to interrupt enemy satellite communications and hinder enemy early warning systems meant to detect a U.S. attack,\u201d it stated.<\/p>\n

\"U.S.
Space Force Guardians in front of satellite jammers\u2014the Space Force\u2019s first offensive weapon. [Source: interestingengineering.com<\/a>]\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Soon afterwards, the Financial Times\u2019s <\/em>headline: \u201cU.S military officials eye new generation of space weapons.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a> In 2001, the headline on the c4isrnet.com website, which describes itself as \u201cMedia for the Intelligence Age Military,\u201d declared: \u201cThe Space Force wants to use directed-energy systems for space superiority.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"
Directed-energy weapon. [Source: exonews.org<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Resistance is Futile<\/strong><\/h2>\n

A personal experience with the U.S. anti-PAROS stand occurred in March 1999. In Weapons in Space, <\/em>I told of giving the keynote address at a seminar at the UN titled \u201cThe Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space.\u201d The event was organized by the Women\u2019s International League for Peace and Freedom. On the following day, another vote on the PAROS treaty was to be held at the UN in Geneva.<\/p>\n

<\/a> As part of my presentation, I displayed various documents, including a 1998 report of the U.S. Space Command titled Vision for 2020<\/em><\/a>. <\/em>(The U.S. Space Command was formed in 1982 as part of the U.S. Air Force to be succeeded by the U.S. Space Force.)<\/p>\n

\u201cUS Space Command\u2014dominating the space dimension of military operations to protect US interests and investment. Integrating Space Forces into war-fighting capabilities across the full spectrum of conflict,\u201d trumpeted Vision for 2020. <\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"
[Source: spikeybits.com<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I noted Vision for 2020<\/em> saying, \u201cHistorically, military forces have evolved to protect national interests and investments\u2014both military and economic.\u201d Nations built navies, says Vision for 2020<\/em>, \u201cto protect and enhance their commercial interests\u201d and, during \u201cthe westward expansion of the United States, military outposts and the cavalry emerged to protect our wagon trains, settlements and railroads. The emergence of space power follows both of these models. During the early portion of the 21st Century, space power will also evolve into a separate and equal medium of warfare.\u201d<\/p>\n

I displayed the comments of U.S. Space Command Commander-in-Chief Joseph W. Ashy in Aviation Week and Space Technology <\/em>in 1996: \u201cIt\u2019s politically sensitive, but it\u2019s going to happen,\u201d said the general<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n
\"GENERAL
U.S. Space Command Commander-in-Chief General Joseph W. Ashy [Source: afspc.af.mil<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cSome people don\u2019t want to hear this \u2026 but\u2014absolutely\u2014we\u2019re going to fight in space. We\u2019re going to fight\u00a0from <\/em>space and we\u2019re going to fight\u00a0into <\/em>space\u2026. We will engage terrestrial targets someday\u2014ships, airplanes, land targets\u2014from space.\u201d (Original italics)<\/p>\n

U.S. Space Command Commander-in-Chief General Joseph W. Ashy<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I displayed a photo of the entrance of the headquarters in Colorado of the 50th<\/sup> Space Wing of the U.S. Air Force emblazoned with the unit\u2019s motto: \u201cMaster of Space.\u201d<\/a> The 50th<\/sup> Space Wing is now a component of the U.S. Space Force.<\/p>\n

\"Staff
Staff Sgt. Eric Proctor of the 50th<\/sup> Security Forces Squadron, responsible for the security and protection of Air Force Space Command assets on Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado, is pictured in this undated photo. [Source: kpbs.org<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I spoke of the \u201cmilitary use of space being planned by the U.S.\u201d being \u201cin total contradiction of the principles of peaceful international cooperation that the U.S. likes to espouse\u201d and \u201cpushes us\u2014all of us\u2014to war in the heavens.\u201d<\/p>\n

I was followed by Wang Xiaoyu, first secretary of the Delegation of China<\/a>. \u201cOuter space is the common heritage of the human beings,\u201d he said. \u201cIt should be used entirely for peaceful purposes and for the economic, scientific and cultural development of all countries as well as the well-being of mankind. It must not be weaponized and become another arena of the arms race.\u201d<\/p>\n

The U.S., he said, \u201chas over the years continued its efforts in developing space weapons with a view to deploying such advanced weapon systems in outer space in the near future. Huge amount[s] of human, material and financial resources have already been put into relevant plans and programs.<\/p>\n

The momentum has recently been greatly intensified. These ominous efforts will bring about the weaponization of outer space and lead to an arms race there. So, PAROS has already become a present and pressing issue<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

The next day, on my way to observe the vote, I saw a U.S. diplomat who had been at my presentation\u2014and it was clear from his facial expressions during it that he was not happy with my remarks.<\/p>\n

We approached each other and on an anonymous basis, he said he would like to explain the U.S. position on militarizing space. As related in Weapons in Space, <\/em>he said that the U.S has trouble with its citizenry in fielding a large number of troops on the ground. But \u201cwe can project power from space\u201d and, said the official, that is why the U.S. military was moving in that direction. I said if the U.S. moved ahead with this, would not other nations respond in kind?<\/p>\n

He replied that the U.S. military had done analyses and determined that China was \u201c30 years behind\u201d in competing with the U.S. militarily in space and Russia \u201cdoesn\u2019t have the money.\u201d I contested that and said a huge, potentially catastrophic, miscalculation was being made. We parted in disagreement.<\/p>\n

Then he went to vote and I watched as again nation after nation voted for the PAROS treaty\u2014and the diplomat I had spoken to cast a \u201cno\u201d vote for the U.S.<\/p>\n

PAROS was blocked once again.<\/p>\n

\"A
Named after John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, the New Glenn will be capable of putting a payload into orbit. [Source: ft.com<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And this was during the time of the Democratic Clinton administration.<\/p>\n

Later that day, I sat in the UN cafeteria with a group of young Chinese diplomats who said that, if the U.S. moved into space militarily, China would too. \u201cBut we don\u2019t want to,\u201d emphasized one. Rather, he said, China wants to use its resources to educate, house, feed and provide medical care for its people.<\/p>\n

Star Wars and America\u2019s Nazis<\/strong><\/h2>\n

U.S. interest in militarizing and weaponizing space goes back well before the Vision for 2020 <\/em>and other bellicose U.S. plans for space in the 1990s, or Ronald Reagan\u2019s Strategic Defense Initiative dubbed \u201cStar Wars,\u201d<\/a> in the 1980s. Its roots are with the former Nazi rocket scientists and engineers brought to the U.S. from Germany after World War II under the U.S.\u2019s Operation Paperclip, where more than 1,600 German scientists, engineers and technicians were taken from former Nazi Germany to the U.S. for government employment after the end of World War II in Europe, between 1945 and 1959.<\/p>\n

\"23
Ronald Reagan giving speech announcing the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) in March 1983. [Source: linkedin.com<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

They ended up at the U.S. Army\u2019s Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama\u2014to use \u201ctheir technological expertise to help create the U.S. space and weapons program,\u201d writes Jack Manno, a State University of New York professor, in his 1984 book\u00a0Arming the Heavens: The Hidden Military Agenda for Space, 1945-1995<\/em><\/a> (1984).<\/p>\n

\u201cMany of the early space war schemes were dreamt up by scientists working for the German military, scientists who brought their rockets and their ideas to America after the war,\u201d he writes. Many of these scientists and engineers \u201clater rose to positions of power in the U.S. military, NASA, and the aerospace industry.\u201d<\/p>\n

Among them were \u201cWernher von Braun and his V-2 colleagues,\u201d who began \u201cworking on rockets for the U.S. Army\u201d and, at the Redstone Arsenal, \u201cwere given the task of producing an intermediate range ballistic missile to carry battlefield atomic weapons up to 200 miles. The Germans produced a modified V-2 renamed the Redstone\u2026. Huntsville became a major center of U.S. space military activities.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A
Wernher von Braun, former Nazi scientist at Huntsville facility in Alabama. [Source: encyclopediaofalabama.org<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Manno tells the story of former German Major General Walter Dornberger, who had been in charge of the entire Nazi rocket program, and how he \u201cin\u00a01947 as a consultant to the U.S Air Force and adviser to the Department of Defense \u2026 wrote a planning paper for his new employers.<\/p>\n

He proposed a system of hundreds of nuclear-armed satellites all orbiting at different altitudes and angles, each capable of re-entering the atmosphere on command from Earth to proceed to its target. The Air Force began early work on Dornberger\u2019s idea under the acronym NABS (Nuclear Armed Bombardment Satellites).\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\"Walter
General Walter Dornberger [Source: Spartacus-educational.com<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

In my subsequent Weapons in Space,\u00a0<\/em>Manno tells me that \u201ccontrol over the Earth\u201d was what those who have wanted to weaponize space seek. He said the Nazi scientists are an important \u201chistorical and technical link, and also an ideological link\u2026. The aim is to \u2026 have the capacity to carry out global warfare, including weapons systems that reside in space.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dornberger\u2019s nuclear link continues in various forms throughout the U.S. military space program. The Strategic Defense Initiative scheme of Reagan\u2014although this was barely disclosed at the time\u2014was predicated on orbiting battle platforms with on-board hypervelocity guns, particle beams and laser weapons. They were to be energized by on-board nuclear reactors.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Laser weapons in SDI. [Source: nationalinterest.org<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As General James Abrahamson, SDI director, said at a Symposium on Space Nuclear Power and Propulsion, \u201cwithout reactors in orbit [there is] going to be a long, long light [extension] cord that goes down to the surface of the Earth\u201d to bring up power to energize space weaponry.[2]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

\"\"
Lt. Gen. James Abrahamson and President Ronald Reagan at Strategic Defense Initiative Labs. [Source: wikipedia.org<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

New World Vistas<\/strong><\/h2>\n

A 1996 U.S. Air Force report, New World Vistas: Air and Space Power for the 21st Century<\/em><\/a>, speaks of how \u201cnew technologies will allow the fielding of space-based weapons of devastating effectiveness to be used to deliver energy and mass as force projection in tactical and strategic conflict. These advances will enable lasers with reasonable mass and cost to effect very many kills.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, \u201cpower limitations impose restrictions\u201d on such space weaponry making them \u201crelatively unfeasible,\u201d but \u201ca natural technology to enable high power is nuclear power in space.\u201d Says the report: \u201cSetting the emotional issues of nuclear power aside, this technology offers a viable alternative for large amounts of power in space.\u201d<\/p>\n

This linkage continues.<\/p>\n

A 104-page report issued by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine in 2021 entitled Space Nuclear Propulsion for Human Mars Exploration<\/em> declared: \u201cSpace nuclear propulsion and power systems have the potential to provide the United States with military advantages.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Nuclear
An illustration of a spacecraft powered by nuclear thermal propulsion. [Source: space.com<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The report\u2019s central focus is the advocacy of rocket propulsion by nuclear power for U.S. missions to Mars and lays out \u201csynergies\u201d in space nuclear activities between NASA and the U.S. military.<\/p>\n

\"Mars
Mars. [Source: bbc.com<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On December 19, 2021, just before he was to leave office, Trump signed Space Policy Directive-6, titled \u201cNational Strategy for Space Nuclear Power and Propulsion.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

Its provisions include: \u201cDoD [Department of Defense] and NASA, in cooperation with DOE [Department of Energy], and with other agencies and private-sector partners, as appropriate, should evaluate technology options and associated key technical challenges for an NTP [Nuclear Thermal Propulsion] system, including reactor designs, power conversion, and thermal management. DoD and NASA should work with their partners to evaluate and use opportunities for commonality with other SNPP [Space Nuclear Power and Propulsion] needs, terrestrial power needs, and reactor demonstration projects planned by agencies and the private sector.\u201d<\/p>\n

It continues: \u201cDoD, in coordination with DOE and other agencies, and with private sector partners, as appropriate, should develop reactor and propulsion system technologies that will resolve the key technical challenges in areas such as reactor design and production, propulsion system and spacecraft design, and SNPP system\u00a0integration.\u201d<\/p>\n

The members of the committee that put together the report for the National Academies included executives of the aerospace and nuclear industry\u2014a key element in U.S. space policy.<\/p>\n

For example, as the report states, there were: Jonathan W. Cirtain, president of Advanced Technologies, \u201ca subsidiary of BWX Technologies which is the sole manufacturer of nuclear reactors for the U.S. Navy\u201d; Roger M. Myers, owner of R. Myers Consulting and who previously at Aerojet Rocketdyne \u201coversaw programs and strategic planning for next-generation in-space missions [that] included nuclear thermal propulsion and nuclear electric power systems; and Joseph A. Sholtis, Jr., \u201cowner and principal of Sholtis Engineering & Safety Consulting, providing expert nuclear, aerospace, and systems engineering services to government, national laboratories, industry, and academia since 1993.\u201d<\/p>\n

And so on.<\/p>\n

\n