By Karl Grossman, prof of journalism, Columbia Uni 28 April 2021
The U.S., the United Kingdom and the then Soviet Union joined decades ago in drafting the Outer Space Treaty of 1967 that designated space as a “global commons” for peaceful purposes. The treaty bans the deployment of weapons of mass destruction in space. It’s been signed by most nations on Earth.
Russia and China—along with U.S. neighbor Canada—have led in a move to expand the Outer Space Treaty by outlawing the deployment of any weapons in space.
PAROS has wide world support. But through a succession of U.S. administrations—Republican and Democrat—the U.S. government has voted against the PAROS treaty at the Conference on Disarmament of the United Nations. Because conference decisions must be supported by consensus, the U.S. has effectively vetoed enactment of the PAROS treaty.
In September 2023, SIPRI published a report that analyses the critical interplay between space systems, military operations and the potential for nuclear escalation. The report explores the multiple civilian and military uses of space systems, including missions related to nuclear deterrence.
The findings of the report lay the groundwork for a deeper analysis of potential escalation pathways and the formulation of risk-reduction measures for policymakers.
Read the report here: https://www.sipri.org/publications/20...
in SpaceX to support its plan to deliver hundreds or thousands of micro satellites into a low (750 mile) orbit around the globe to serve Internet to rural and developing areas of the world. The Information's sources indicated that Google was in the “final stages” of investing in SpaceX and valued the company at “north of $10 billion.” SpaceX is apparently courting other investors as well.
Elon Musk indeed has a Google-sponsored card up his sleeve.
Following a meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters that space can be used for peaceful purposes- but that it can also be used with aggressive intentions.
“Satellites can be jammed, hacked or weaponized. Anti-satellite weapons could cripple communications and other services our societies rely on, such as air travel, weather forecast or banking,” he said.
Stoltenberg’s comments echo those of the Deputy Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, Lieutenant General Scott Kindsvater, who presented a space briefing before the Committee last month. “Space is part of our daily lives,” he warned, “It is therefore important that we are vigilant and resilient – also in space”.
NATO’s decision to adopt space as an operational domain is in line with decisions already made by a number of countries, including those already party to the treaty. In August this year, Washington launched the US Space Command to oversee off-world military operations; the Command’s leader, four-star Gen. John Raymond, describing space as a “warfighting domain.”
Extrema solstormar kan orsaka allvarliga störningar i samhället. Stora delar av Sveriges elförsörjning kan slås ut, och indirekt även mobilnätet. – Samhället blir allt mer sårbart för den här typen av händelser, säger rymdfysikern Urban Brändström.
1859 orsakade den så kallade Carrington-händelsen stora skador på dåtidens viktigaste kommunikationskanal; telegrafnätet. I både Europa och Nordamerika förstördes telegrafrullar och telegrafister fick el-stötar. Då såg man norrsken ända nere i Karibien.
1921 förstördes en telefonstation i Karlstad och ledde till omfattande problem med rikstelefonin.
1989 drabbades miljoner kanadensare av ett flera timmar långt strömavbrott
2003 blev tiotusentals personer i Malmö utan ström i knappt en timme efter en solstorm.
The United States Air Force has successfully tested its first prototype hypersonic missile, the AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon, or ARRW.
"By Brett Tingleyn published December 13, 2022
The exact speed of the AGM-183A isn't known, although some have alleged it might reach Mach 20.
Jun 2023. (This video includes animated sequences that are not necessarily representative of actual military hardware, technologies or capabilities.) Synopsis Every day, Allied citizens are protected from airborne threats by an integrated network of sensors, missile defence systems and fighter jets. Collectively, they’re known as the NATO Integrated Air and Missile Defence System (IAMD). But how does this system work?
Threats from the air are first detected by an array of sensors deployed by Allies. Based on land, at sea, in the air and even in space, these are capable of detecting aircraft or missile launches minutes after they occur. They feed the data to NATO command posts, such as the Combined Air Operations Centres (CAOCs) in Uedem, Germany and Torrejon, Spain. Commanders can then determine the best way to deal with the threat.
The task might fall to long-range, high-altitude missile defence systems like the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), or the short-to-medium range French Sol-Air Moyenne Portée/Terrestre (SAMP/T). NATO can also use missile defence warships or fighter jets to deal with the threat.
In recent years, the Alliance has had to contend with new threats such as unmanned vehicles and hypersonic missiles. NATO is hard at work on tactics and technology to counter these problems.
It is highly likely that the Trump administration will move to have the U.S. deploy weapons in space. If this happens, it will be profoundly destabilizing, setting off an arms race and, also likely, leading to war in space. For decades there’s been interest by U.S. administrations—the Reagan administration with its “Star Wars” plan a leading example—in placing weapons in space. But that has alternated with some administrations more-or-less opposed, the Obama administration an example.
"One idea that has kicked around for decades is a system that would consist of a tungsten projectile and a navigation system. Upon command, these ‘rods from God’ as they are poetically called would re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere and would strike a target, even one in a superhardened underground banker, at 36,000 feet per second, obliterating it.”
Paul Craig Roberts via Ria Novosti: "The new sanctions announced by Washington and Europe don’t seem to make much sense. I would be surprised if Russian oil and military industries were dependent on European capital markets in a meaningful way. The Russian companies should be able to secure adequate financing from Russian Banks or from the Russian government. If foreign loans are needed, Russia can borrow from China."
"We stand together for the long-term sustainability of outer space activities and enhancing safety of space operations through implementation and development of the relevant UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space guidelines," the leaders noted in the New Delhi Declaration
Mit einem im rheinland-pfälzischen Ramstein stationierten Weltraumkommando für Europa und Afrika rüstet sich das US-Militär für Konflikte im All. Steven Basham, stellvertretender Befehlshaber United States European Command, spricht bei der Zeremonie zur Aktivierung des Kommandos der US Space Forces für Europa und Afrika auf der US-Airbase Ramstein. (Foto: dpa)
Lesen Sie in diesem Artikel:
Was das Kommando leisten soll
Warum die US-Streitkräfte sich auf Konflikte im All vorbereiten
Wer damit droht, US-Satelliten als legitime Angriffsziele anzusehen
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