Air Force in No Rush for U.S. Antisatellite Weapons

By Elaine M. Grossman
Global Security Newswire

WASHINGTON — Despite the recent destruction of a failing U.S. satellite in orbit, a senior military commander said today that policy concerns preclude fielding a dedicated antisatellite capability (see GSN, Feb. 15).

The Defense Department on Feb. 20 used a modified Navy Standard 3 missile interceptor to eliminate the dysfunctional spy satellite, citing concerns that toxic fuel onboard could have posed a health threat if the space vehicle had been allowed to tumble back to Earth on its own (see GSN, Feb. 21).

In terms of developing a future air-, land- or sea-based antisatellite system that might deny adversaries the use of space, U.S. policy dictates that the military “‘be prepared,’ [but] it doesn’t say ‘go do,’” Air Force Space Command head Gen. Robert Kehler said at a breakfast session with the Defense Writers Group.

“I’m not ready to say” that the United States should be “operationalizing some kind of an antisatellite weapon,” the general told reporters.  Rather, Kehler said he plans to focus his Colorado Springs, Colo., command on improving the nation’s ability to monitor activities in space.

Asked whether it might be feasible to quickly dust off 1980s-vintage technologies for an antisatellite weapon that could be launched from an F-15 fighter jet, if needed, Kehler responded:  “It isn’t a question of, ‘Can we?’  I think it’s a question of, ‘Should we?’  And that’s a national policy question.”

Some leaders contend that heavy national reliance on satellite systems for communications, surveillance and navigation means the United States has the most to lose in any arms contest in space (see GSN, Feb. 22).

If a decision were taken to quickly develop and field an antisatellite weapon, “we have demonstrated some technology in the past,” he said.  However, “everything has advanced since then,” including the complexity of satellites and the technologies employed to protect them, Kehler said.  “So I don’t want to trivialize that [challenge],” he said.

After China tested an antisatellite weapon early last year, the United States responded by improving its ability to replenish its space assets very quickly with small, backup satellites; better protecting its ground control stations against potential attack; and increasing its capability to observe activities in space, he said (see GSN, Jan. 19, 2007).

Such a multipronged approach is more appropriate than a tit-for-tat response to space threats, he said.

“The wrong way to go about this would be to knee-jerk this and to go off and invest a lot of money in certain things that we ought to be a little more thoughtful about,” Kehler said.

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