May 29, 2023 02:48 PM
(This post was last modified: May 29, 2023 02:49 PM by C C.)
US ‘ready to fight in space if we have to’, says military official
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023...y-official
EXCERPT: . . . Brig Gen Jesse Morehouse at US Space Command, the arm of the military responsible for space operations, said Russian aggression and China’s vision to become the dominant space power by mid-century, had left the US with “no choice” but to prepare for orbital skirmishes.
“The United States of America is ready to fight tonight in space if we have to,” Morehouse told reporters in a briefing at the US embassy in London. “If someone was to threaten the United States of America, or any of our interests, including those of our allies and partners with whom we have treaties of mutual defence support, we are ready to fight tonight.”
Satellites underpin great swathes of modern life, from banking systems to weather forecasting, and are crucial for military operations through intelligence gathering, communications, navigation and guidance. But an overreliance on satellites means that an attack on a country’s orbital assets could have far-reaching consequences.
Four countries, namely China, the US, India and Russia, have tested anti-satellite capabilities by destroying their own satellites with missiles from the ground. But such demonstrations, which the US unilaterally banned last year, create vast clouds of debris that put other satellites at risk for decades.
When Russia shot down one of its own satellites in 2021, the explosion showered its orbit with more than 1,500 trackable fragments. “When you create that debris cloud and it lingers on orbit for decades, it’s almost like detonating a nuclear weapon in your own back yard,” Morehouse said. “You pay the price too.”
Faced with a new space race, Morehouse said on Thursday the US would continue to develop anti-satellite technologies “not because we want to fight tonight, but because that’s the best way to deter conflict from happening”, adding it would do so “without engaging in irresponsible tests”... (MORE - missing details)
Not even the U.S. Space Force can properly explain what it does
https://gizmodo.com/space-force-cant-pro...1850447144
EXCERPTS: Ever since its inception in 2019, the U.S. Space Force has struggled to establish its identity. Now, a leading official at the youngest military branch is looking to rewrite its mission statement, hoping that will help clear any confusion over exactly what it does.
[...] On its website, the Space Force defines its mission as, “organizing, training, and equipping Guardians to conduct global space operations that enhance the way our joint and coalition forces fight, while also offering decision makers military options to achieve national objectives.”
That is certainly a mouthful, and honestly, I see why Saltzman hates it. He also worries that the statement only reflects a small portion of what Space Force’s personnel actually do. “Guardians operate some of the most technologically advanced systems in the world. In doing so, they deter aggression and, should deterrence fail, protect U.S. interests with military force,” he wrote in the memo.
Based on the memo, it appears that Saltzman wants to emphasize the branch’s scarier, more defensive side, the one that basically says, “Don’t mess with America’s space, goddamn it!” (MORE - missing details)
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023...y-official
EXCERPT: . . . Brig Gen Jesse Morehouse at US Space Command, the arm of the military responsible for space operations, said Russian aggression and China’s vision to become the dominant space power by mid-century, had left the US with “no choice” but to prepare for orbital skirmishes.
“The United States of America is ready to fight tonight in space if we have to,” Morehouse told reporters in a briefing at the US embassy in London. “If someone was to threaten the United States of America, or any of our interests, including those of our allies and partners with whom we have treaties of mutual defence support, we are ready to fight tonight.”
Satellites underpin great swathes of modern life, from banking systems to weather forecasting, and are crucial for military operations through intelligence gathering, communications, navigation and guidance. But an overreliance on satellites means that an attack on a country’s orbital assets could have far-reaching consequences.
Four countries, namely China, the US, India and Russia, have tested anti-satellite capabilities by destroying their own satellites with missiles from the ground. But such demonstrations, which the US unilaterally banned last year, create vast clouds of debris that put other satellites at risk for decades.
When Russia shot down one of its own satellites in 2021, the explosion showered its orbit with more than 1,500 trackable fragments. “When you create that debris cloud and it lingers on orbit for decades, it’s almost like detonating a nuclear weapon in your own back yard,” Morehouse said. “You pay the price too.”
Faced with a new space race, Morehouse said on Thursday the US would continue to develop anti-satellite technologies “not because we want to fight tonight, but because that’s the best way to deter conflict from happening”, adding it would do so “without engaging in irresponsible tests”... (MORE - missing details)
Not even the U.S. Space Force can properly explain what it does
https://gizmodo.com/space-force-cant-pro...1850447144
EXCERPTS: Ever since its inception in 2019, the U.S. Space Force has struggled to establish its identity. Now, a leading official at the youngest military branch is looking to rewrite its mission statement, hoping that will help clear any confusion over exactly what it does.
[...] On its website, the Space Force defines its mission as, “organizing, training, and equipping Guardians to conduct global space operations that enhance the way our joint and coalition forces fight, while also offering decision makers military options to achieve national objectives.”
That is certainly a mouthful, and honestly, I see why Saltzman hates it. He also worries that the statement only reflects a small portion of what Space Force’s personnel actually do. “Guardians operate some of the most technologically advanced systems in the world. In doing so, they deter aggression and, should deterrence fail, protect U.S. interests with military force,” he wrote in the memo.
Based on the memo, it appears that Saltzman wants to emphasize the branch’s scarier, more defensive side, the one that basically says, “Don’t mess with America’s space, goddamn it!” (MORE - missing details)