US Military Prepares for War in Space

Columnist M. ZAFAR studies the developments in space wars.

World’s biggest space faring nation, the United States is now seized with problem of safeguarding her assets stationed in space. A fair and justifiable concern but of the kind that is sure to add another dimension to future warfare. Soon its military leaders will be talking of ensuring ‘superiority in space’ as a factor for victorious end to the conflicts on Earth.

Vehicles in space provide automated reconnaissance and mapping, aid weather prediction, track fleet and troop movements, give an extremely accurate view of the positions of own and enemy forces, pinpoint locations of Long Range Missiles and during operations guide missiles and pilotless planes to their targets.

What else could a field commander wish for? And who in the name Jesus would agree to give up those advantages? Nations have always utilised their edge in technology for gaining military superiority over others. Why should space technology be an exception?

The other opinion is that fighting should remain on Earth. Proponents of this view plead that space should be maintained solely for peaceful purposes. They argue that threat to American assets in space is exaggerated. America has got all the stuff that is needed already up there. Security to a considerable extent is inbuilt in technical difficulties and the expense in reaching the small size objects and ease of launching replacements. However, placement of weapons in space, will change the perspective. Other nations will sooner or later respond in kind. War in space will then become inevitable.

Professor Karl Grossman, of The City University of New York and others accuse the United States of fomenting a new ‘orbital imperialism’. They charge that the military views space control as a way for the U.S. to further dominate global affairs, much as European empires used superior navies and technology in previous centuries.

The Outer Space Treaty of 1967 prohibits placement of weapons of mass destruction in the space. In November 1999, the United Nations voted to reaffirm the treaty, highlighting the provision that space is to be used for “peaceful purposes”. 138 nations voted in favour, United States and Israel abstained.

Arms-control advocates observe that the United States pushed the 1967 treaty during the Cold War, when Soviet space capability appeared to have an edge. When with the demise of Soviet Union, threat of a credible counteracting force vanished; this treaty ought to have been extended to all weapons in the outer space. A number of countries including China and Russia have frequently pleaded for this.

Against this moralistic reasoning of the intelligentsia has arrayed the power and influence of the Military - Industrial Complex in the United States. The views of arms control advocates are not likely to amount to much in domestic politics of America. Led by the contractors at defence-space research facilities a strong lobby is pushing the Administration hard towards militarization of space. These elements are convinced that in the post-cold war period their (please read US national) interests will best be served by a vigorous military effort in the space.

According to their estimates in about two decades China will have enough space capability to challenge the United States and its allies in there. There is an element of truth in it. China has its own space programme and is reportedly working on ways to disable U.S. satellites, which have become essential to both military and civilian information gathering and communications. As said earlier, these satellites are small and are hard but not impossible to hit. During the Cold War, the Soviet Union developed anti-satellite missiles that could be launched from high-flying jet aircraft. Chinese could build on that technology. Alternately they could develop other ground based or orbiting anti-satellite weapons that use lasers or electromagnetic pulses to jam or disable the electronics on their targets.

Chinese scientists are also reportedly working on “parasitic” satellites that would attach themselves to the orbiters and destroy them. A nuclear weapon detonated near orbit would emit deadly electro-magnetic pulses that could destroy groups of satellites that may be orbiting in vicinity. Satellites and their ground-control stations are also vulnerable to cyber attacks and can be made dysfunctional relatively at a cheap cost. All that is needed is a Chinese Dr Nuker. US military has long given signs that it is willing to take warfare into space.

Military men refer to space as the ‘ultimate high ground’. Holding of high ground in the battlefield has always been of vital importance to soldiers. It is advantageous to be above your enemies, whether at the top of a hill or in the skies. This military logic is irrefutable.

US military’s calculations in their “Long Range Plan” for control of space indicate that by 2020, if not earlier, US adversaries will be sharing the high ground of space with it. In order to retain their advantage in the space they have to, therefore, be prepared to use force. Initially they plan to fight the war in space through armed satellites and space-based missile. Long-range plans, however, suggest that lasers and kinetic-energy weapons will have to be developed for the purpose. At the organisational level creation of a new branch of service the ‘SpaceCorps’ is being suggested.

US Air Force is currently developing a space-based laser to shoot down ICBMs. Such weapons may be ready by 2020. Since this violates the treaties, United States is now posturing to opt out of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty of 1972.

Development and operation of space-based weapons will be a costly affair. It costs about $10,000 to launch a single pound of material into orbit with the space shuttle or a traditional rocket. You cannot fault the defence contractors who have thus far survived the post-cold war downturn in their industry for taking interest in the programme. Most of them are based in Alabama, Colorado, California and New Mexico alongside the major space research, command and operations centres of the Air Force and the Army.

According to estimates US spends about $6 billion a year on its military space efforts, about 2 percent of the nation's $300 billion annual defence budget. US Air Force that is taking the lead in pursuing space warfare plans to ask for many more billions annually. Their case is already made by some of the country’s most prestigious think tanks including the one headed by Mr Donald Rumsfeld before he took over as US Secretary of Defence.