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Next Major War in Space?
An anonymous reader writes "A US Northern Command general thinks that with US and international military dependence on space assets (such as GPS, eyes in the sky, communications), the next major conflict will occur in the heavens. He acknowledged that the US wants to keep space peaceful, but that can't last forever, and potential threats might not care, anyway. Yes, China's recent success (or what we heard from the military secrecy) relates to this, but he also said he's not implying China is a threat, or will be."
Just because a country can't send people into space does not mean that they will not be a space threat.
Satellite seeking missles could easily take down our communications and GPS systems. Multiple different countries now have the ability to buy or launch satellite systems directly into space.
China isn't the only player involved here.
This is why the USA should continue to pour money into our space program--not just for research, but for security.
From the article, it looks like the general is just suggesting that at some point, some adversary may decide to attack US satellites. I mean, it's no surprise that they would - if your enemy in war has an advantage and you could take that advantage away from them, you would. It's just that, so far, the US hasn't got into a shooting war with a country that could attack this capability. But blowing up a few satellites hardly constitutes a 'major' war, merely an important part of it.
The wars of the future will not be fought on the battlefield or at sea.
They will be fought in space, or possibly on top of a very tall
mountain. In either case, most of the actual fighting will be done by
small robots. And as you go forth today remember always your duty is
clear: To build and maintain those robots. Thank you.
Blaze a trail to the New World
That guy sounds like he suffers from Schizophrenia:
There's going to be a big war in space soon! Huge!
Not that the USA is going to start the war, on no. We're peaceful people.
But of course, that can't last forever! We might not be able to prevent ourselves starting a war soon.
But we're not war-like here in the USA, not at all.
But those damn Chinese getting into space, that might start a war, oh yes! We'll be ready for them!
I'm not implying that the Chinese are a threat or anything, oh no!
But they might be in the future...
No they won't! I'm not implying that!
Two things:
a) the closest recorded asteriod fly-by occurred recently, and we only knew about it *after* it had passed us
b) deflecting the path of an asteriod on a collision course would be a hell of a lot more difficult than you seem to think. I've not done the maths, but I'm not entirely sure that we're even up to the challenge just yet
It's official. Most of you are morons.
the US wants to keep space peaceful, but that can't last forever
Once you prepare for war, you've already started the war.
"Ford," he said, "you're turning into a penguin. Stop it."
...what military threat does China possess? They're a major economic ally now, and they only seem to wave their swords when Hong Kong or Taiwan threatens independence or something.
There was a greater threat of space combat with the Soviets when the Cold War was on, and that obviously never materialized. I'm sure this is just another obvious tactic to get more military funding from an already-overstretched federal government.
All this would be of no concern if it were not for the Kellser Effect. Basically, when two pieces of debris collide, they break up into several more pieces of debris, which inturn increases the rate of collisions... What's happening right now is an exponential growth in the number of pieces of junk out there (note again that a decrease in the size does not lead to a corresponding decrease in its harmfulness), threatning to make orbit all but impossible within the next couple of decades.
Its bad enough as it is, and we need to think of a way to solve the problem real fast. If space turns into anything remotely resembling a "battleground", space will be a very, very different place from what it is now. Perhaps it will even mean the end of the space age.
imo this is only feeding the existing paranoia 'everybody is after us' that the people in the united states have been brainwasged with since 911
No I dont think thats the case here, I think he's saying that space is one of the greater military advantages that Countries like the US enjoys. And that in the Future the fight is going to be to control that advantage or to knock out your enemy's space assets, or even just use your enemy's space assets against them. I think the other concern is that since China is probably not going to work together with us on the space thing(their space program is run by their military) they may be concerned with China and other space newcomers finding out exactly what we have up there watching them and/or them stealing our technology!
--Im an oven mitt, not an engineer! (SLArbys Radio Commercial)
So a US General, whose livelihood depends on the prospect or actuality of war, thinks that space will be a battleground at some point "in the next 20 years." OMG! It's so hard to believe he said that.
I bet if you asked, you could find a prominent US businessman who thinks space will become the next great financial frontier at some unspecified point "in the next 20 years," too.
And I would even go so far as to say a scientist thinks outer space will become the next focus of scientific inquiry "in the next 20 years!"
This article is nothing but idle speculation from a man who likely has no more ability to foresee a war in space than you or I.
Chalmers Johnson says in his new book: "The Sorrows of Empire : Militarism, Secrecy, and the End of the Republic" that from 2004 on the U.S. is going to start either to sabotage or to destroy satellites from other nations. This book is not out yet.
The Star Wars program is no joke.... The Pentagon is so sure that whomever controls space will control the Earth and beyond that they are feverishly working to deploy anti-satellite weapons (ASAT's) that will enable the U.S. to knock out competitors "eyes in the sky" during times of hostilities. As the Space Command says in their slick brochure Vision for 2020, "Control of space is the ability to assure access to space, freedom of operations within the space medium, and an ability to deny others the use of space if required." - A quote from this article, very interesting. http://www.globenet.free-online.co.uk/articles/dom ination.htm
By Bruce K. Gagnon
More links on other military space topics:
http://www.gracelinks.org/nuke/starwars
http://www.envirovideo.com/starwars.html
As far as I can tell, our satellites are useful for A: GPS recievers, which can be jammed more cheaply on the ground B: Communications, which can be jammed more cheaply on the ground... and would take out their own comm satellites and C: Intelligence satellites, which are in high geosynchronous orbit.
If someone decided to attack satellites in their area, the result would look less like a war (with two sides firing), and more like someone shooting at passing cars on the highway. By treaty, satellites have no defensive or offensive capability.
So really, the general is saying that at some point our sitting ducks will be shot down.
The ______ Agenda
A common misconception is that Jesus spoke of international relations.
He spoke of interpersonal relations.
Thus, what a G.W. Bush might or might not do in the context of 'loving his neighbor' in Crawford, TX needs to be seen as distinct from his actions as POTUS.
Now, I think Jimmy Carter is the most under-rated president in US history. The reason he gets low billing is that he didn't do to Iran at the end of the 70's what the US just did to Afghanistan over 9/11. Because the compassion Jesus preached for dealing with everyone around us, regardless of race, age, political- and sexual orientation simply doesn't apply to acts of war on the international level.
</rant>
Getting back on topic, the article is a joke. Putting stuff in space is ridiculously expensive.
Targeting stuff in space is ridiculously hard.
Thus, a war could potentially start with something out there in the vacuum, but would quickly be pulled down into the vauums in the heads of the leaders on earth.
There is no need to preach pacifism; preach the common sense that war is too expensive.
Get thee glass eyes, and, like a scurvy politician, seem to see things thou dost not.--King Lear
Oh, come one. You can't be serious. Everyone knows that the civil right to download MP3s over Kazaa anonymously is the most fundamental of all liberties and without it, freedom crumbles to dust and tyranny reigns supreme.
Sheesh. What a maroon...
You can tell a great deal about the character of a man by observing those who hate him.
I'd strongly suggest people watch "Bowling for Columbine", for one point-of-view on fear mongering as part of the problem, reason, not just consequence.
I remember pointing out (right after 9/11) how silly most fears regarding terrorists using atomic (and to a degree, biological and even chemical weapons is) are, and was told by n+1 people how wrong I was ("nobody thought an airplane would be used as..."). I've yet to see any credible threat from that direction, and hopefully won't see during my lifetime. I don't think that's a coincident, or just act of efficient prevention. Yet many readers here thought it'd be inevitable, would happen right away. Just like attack of killer bees, Y2K causing armageddon, red threat leading to slavery of human kind, and dozens of other low probability threat people just bought without thinking for themselves. And of course nowadays in USA, the all-encompassing replacement for red threat, the almighty terrorism.
American journalists could do well to investigate terrorism in Europe (IRA, ETA, leftist terrorist groups in italy and germany, algerian and corsican-tied ones in french), to see how most of those terrorism waves come and go; how something awful that seems to be part of life may come to a complete halt (germany, late-70s, bader-mainhof); and finally how to, in the end of the day, get on with life. Not disregard dangers, but live with them, while working to get rid of them, if possible.
Sometimes it's just feels that before USA has seen some phenomenon, it's like it never existed. "World has changed forever, nothing will ever be the same". I know it's just part of american cultrue; big words, lots of pompous declarations, hot air; quotes from movies trying act heroic... and still it bothers me; compared to dignified but low-key responses more common in other places, when faced with horrible things.
That's why it'd be great to have better news services; without them, this introvertism regading other countries (while being very social, well mannered and likable within country) will continue to make USA xenophobic (as in fearing and distrusting other countries, and people living there; not as in racism towards different coloured americans).
I like paying taxes. With them I buy civilization -- Oliver Wendell Holmes
Yes you can Jam GPS from the ground. However you cannot do it without announcing exactly where you jammer is. It is trivial for the military to launch a bomb at all your jammers, and solve the problem. Further, jammers have a limited range (how limited depends on power...) so by turning on a jammer you announce that there is some reason to jam that area, focusing attention on the area. You can assume some decoys, but jammers still announce something. Directional antennas are also of some use. Ground based jammers are easy to block out when you recall the real signal is coming from overhead. Combine that with sensitive recivers and you can't be sure your jammers will even jam the signal.
The military has carefully considered ground based jamming. It was done in WWII (and likely before), they are not stupid enough to overlook it. They have spent years finding things that are immune to jamming.
In the vacuum of space, there are no explosions: no huge fireballs of combustible fuels, no thundering boom.
Watching a space war on CNN would be DULL DULL DULL.
>> the US wants to keep space peaceful
Keeping space peaceful may be one general's dream, but further militarisation of space is certainly in the plans of others. Creation of "US Space Forces" to ensure American hegemony is one recommendation of the Project for the New American Century (Cheney, Rumsfeld, Perle, Wolfowitz, Kagan, et al.) in their pre-Bush (Sept 2000) document Rebuilding America's Defenses.
It's a long document, but a must-read if you want to understand their mid-90's planning for Gulf War II and their plans for the future of US foreign policy.