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14-05-10, 12:47 AM
'Rich Debate' Continues Over U.S. Space Policy
By JOHN T. BENNETT
Published: 13 May 2010 10:26
The Obama administration remains engaged in a "rich debate" about its months-overdue Space Posture Review (SPR), U.S. Gen. James Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs, said May 13.
Initially slated for delivery to Congress in early February, Cartwright said the SPR "is not completed."
It was to be delivered along with the 2011 defense spending plan, the Quadrennial Defense Review, and other posture strategies on missile defense and nuclear weapons. The nuclear review was weeks late, and Cartwright gave no indication the space review will go to the Hill any time soon.
"It has been the hardest of the reviews," the Marine four-star general said bluntly at a conference in Washington.
Officials are still debating a number of thorny issues.
For instance, he said, "we need a management structure for how we do business out there."
Years ago, Washington and other nations wanted to keep secret from one another the 10 or so satellites that were on orbit. And now that there are "tens of thousands" of orbiters, "we still want to keep it a secret."
That's outdated thinking, he said.
During a recent meeting with a senior Russian military official, Cartwright said it became apparent that "we could count on our hands the number of satellites we don't want" each other to know about.
U.S. policies must change to reflect this new reality, he said.
And with so many satellites now in space, Washington and its allies need a new system to give them a better picture of what's going on out there.
"This requires an awareness system that we don't [currently] have," Cartwright said. Such a system would allow U.S. officials to understand what is on orbit, what is the intent behind certain space assets, and to link satellites and actions to specific nations.
The question under discussion inside the administration is: "Do we do this alone, or with our allies," he said, adding "the issue is front-and-center right now."
Meantime, Cartwright called for a "declarative policy" for cyber operations. The United States has such policy statements for all other domains, but he quickly added he is not suggesting the Pentagon wants to "take over" all U.S. cyber operations.
By JOHN T. BENNETT
Published: 13 May 2010 10:26
The Obama administration remains engaged in a "rich debate" about its months-overdue Space Posture Review (SPR), U.S. Gen. James Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs, said May 13.
Initially slated for delivery to Congress in early February, Cartwright said the SPR "is not completed."
It was to be delivered along with the 2011 defense spending plan, the Quadrennial Defense Review, and other posture strategies on missile defense and nuclear weapons. The nuclear review was weeks late, and Cartwright gave no indication the space review will go to the Hill any time soon.
"It has been the hardest of the reviews," the Marine four-star general said bluntly at a conference in Washington.
Officials are still debating a number of thorny issues.
For instance, he said, "we need a management structure for how we do business out there."
Years ago, Washington and other nations wanted to keep secret from one another the 10 or so satellites that were on orbit. And now that there are "tens of thousands" of orbiters, "we still want to keep it a secret."
That's outdated thinking, he said.
During a recent meeting with a senior Russian military official, Cartwright said it became apparent that "we could count on our hands the number of satellites we don't want" each other to know about.
U.S. policies must change to reflect this new reality, he said.
And with so many satellites now in space, Washington and its allies need a new system to give them a better picture of what's going on out there.
"This requires an awareness system that we don't [currently] have," Cartwright said. Such a system would allow U.S. officials to understand what is on orbit, what is the intent behind certain space assets, and to link satellites and actions to specific nations.
The question under discussion inside the administration is: "Do we do this alone, or with our allies," he said, adding "the issue is front-and-center right now."
Meantime, Cartwright called for a "declarative policy" for cyber operations. The United States has such policy statements for all other domains, but he quickly added he is not suggesting the Pentagon wants to "take over" all U.S. cyber operations.