Friday, January 19, 2007

Weaponizing Space

So it begins… (finally)

The weaponizing of space has officially started.

As reported by CNN:

“A Chinese Feng Yun 1C (FY-1C) polar orbit weather satellite launched in 1999 was attacked by an asat (anti-satellite) system launched from or near the Xichang Space Center.”

The satellite was complete destroyed into “hundreds of pieces of debris” was in low earth orbit.

“Low Earth-orbit satellites have become indispensable for U.S. military communications, GPS navigation for smart bombs and troops, and for real-time surveillance. The Chinese test highlights the satellites' vulnerability.”

This development is very interesting in many different ways.

I have long said that weaponizing space will be the next great race. It is not only inevitable given that land, sea, and air are already weaponized, but it also is needed for future technological advancement, very similar to the atomic bomb and the iron clad. If the movie “Independence Day” actually happened, we should have stuff up there to shoot those bastards down.

  • American unilateralism backfires again: By changing its space policy by claming “a right to ‘freedom of action in space’ and says it will ‘deter others from either impeding those rights or developing capabilities intended to do so’” the US has given China the unbelievable open door into legitimizing its space weapons development. I guess its just another thing that has come back and bite the Bush Administration in its ass at the expense of the American people.
  • In the midst of the expanding global economic market in which China, Europe and the US are enjoying, there is still much tension and distrust in military matters and issues of national defense (offence). No matter how the economies are becoming more integrated and interdependent, nothing matters when national interest is at stake.
  • China has sent a message…and has showed their big balls while doing so. While spending less than 1/20 of the US defense budget, with this 1 successful attack on a satellite, China has successfully struck worry and even maybe fear in the heart of the US Defense community. China doesn't need comparable satellites that cost billions of dollars… it just needs missiles that can shoot down the billion dollar satellites that are only millions of dollars. Cost savings at its best…not to mention it’s making the front page of many of the world’s papers.
  • The democrats are pissed! I worked for Sherrold Brown in the 2004 election campaign in northeast Ohio to support John Kerry. Even though I know him personally and can say with all certainty that he is a great, honorable and capable American, the freshman Senator from Ohio is going to have a field day with this with support of the protectionist, pro-labor side of the Democratic Party. The democrats need to look strong to their constituents on national defense and this is the perfect forum for that. I wonder what bills or resolutions will be passed on this issue.

I can’t wait to see how this situation develops. There are a lot of things that could happen and change. However, my prediction is that other than lots of political posturing and media hype, as well as specials on the Chinese military capabilities on CNN, the economic relations for trade and investment will stay the same. Everything is too integrated to be hampered by a little missile. Just look at how the war between Hamas and Israel, earlier this year, affected the stock market. After the initial decline, the Dow went on steroids and reached an all time high. No missile is going to stop that.

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