Bush Asserts U.S. Rights In Space

New Policy Says U.S. Has Right To Deny Adversaries Use Of Space For Hostile Purposes

(AP)  President Bush has signed an order asserting the United States' right to deny adversaries access to space for hostile purposes.

Mr. Bush also said the United States would oppose the development of treaties or other restrictions that seek to prohibit or limit U.S. access to or use of space.

The provisions were contained in the first revision of U.S. space policy in nearly 10 years. Mr. Bush's order, signed more than a month ago, was not publicly announced, although unclassified details of his decision were posted on the Web site of the Office of Science and Technology Policy.

"Freedom of action in space is as important to the United States as air power and sea power," the policy says. "In order to increase knowledge, discovery, economic prosperity, and to enhance the national security, the United States must have robust, effective, and efficient space capabilities."

The policy says that space systems should have rights of passage without interference, and that the United States would view any deliberate interference with its space systems as an infringement on its rights.

"The United States considers space capabilities — including the ground and space segments and supporting links — vital to its national interests," the policy said.

"Consistent with this policy, the United States will: preserve its rights, capabilities, and freedom of action in space; dissuade or deter others from either impeding those rights or developing capabilities intended to do so; take those actions necessary to protect its space capabilities; respond to interference; and deny, if necessary, adversaries the use of space capabilities hostile to U.S. national interests."

---

Read the U.S. National Space Policy (.pdf)

---

The White House said the policy does not call for the development or deployment of weapons in space.

"This policy emphasizes that the United States is committed to peaceful uses of space by all nations and that space systems enjoy the right of free passage," National Security Council spokesman Frederick Jones said.

He said the United States maintains the right of self-defense and the protection of its interests and assets in space.

"Protection of space assets does not imply some sort of forceful action," he said. "There is a broad range of ways to protect our space capabilities" such as system hardening, encryption, maneuvering and other methods.

"The new policy is consistent with previous national space policies in this regard," he said.

Jones said the challenges and threats facing the United States have changed in the decade since the space policy was last updated.

"Technology advances have increased the importance of and use of space," he said. "Now, we depend on space capabilities for things like ATMs, personal navigation, package tracking, radio services, and cell phone use."

The new policy was first reported by The Washington Post.

[manelvagor]

Df248,

Are you saying that soon we'll be like the Chinese, or that you just hope so.

Dmitryb,

You're just scaring me dude.

[df248-2009]

This is the NEOCON's grand plan to control the globe and micromanage us.

Slavery is back in vogue.

These insane Facists must be banished. Perhaps we could give them the moon?

[dmitryb-2009]

A spere is a perfect shape. Most planets are round. Atoms and molecules are mostly round. Even the stings in the string theory form circles. Thats why I think our universe is also a sphere. I think it is part of a many other spherical parallel universes. These universes can colide and create a whole new universe, much like soap bubbles, which are also spherical. A sphere has an optimal defense structure. If the military wanted to create greate defensive vehicles, they should research how to impliment the spere into their design. They should also make commercial vehicles and space ships more sperical so that they would be more safe.

[dmitryb-2009]

Control space and you control earth. (Scary isn't it?) Military space ships are perfect vehivles for balistic weapons which can be as powerful as nukes (think of astroids hitting earth)

[frankly6]

We've got to find new frontiers and new wars. Space is the logical next place for a good fight. Personaly I say it's time to kick some space terrorist a**! Bring it on!!

[frankly6]

You people can snicker and laugh all you want but we've got to take the fight to these space terrorists. We've got to fight them out there so that we don't have to fight them at home.

[jw218389]

Halliburton needs more money! Since the Iraqi thing isn't working that well maybe aliens can get Halliburton another 9 BILLION dollars in "emergency funding" with NO OVERSIGHT.

Maybe that's why New Mexico's "Halliburton Heather Wilson (R-NM)" is so interested in aliens??

[manelvagor]

Grumpass,

You're absolutely right! There ARE a lot of dumb forks out there who swallow slop hook line and sinker and love to spew it back out at every opportunity.

This comments thread is a prime example - of the 50+ comments that had a negative response to the Space Policy:

(28) - Spewed hate on Bush's Ego, Selfishness or used to opportunity to make unrelated general rants on everything from Foley to stealing the 2000 & 2004 elections. (your was in this category because you shared with us how Republicans use the word 'terrorism' to manipulate the fools - but the word does not appear once in either the article or the Policy statement)

(20) - Got a little farther than you by actually mentioning the word "space" - but only in order to make a 'wacko' remark about Darth Vader, UFOs, Alien's or Galactic invaders. (This must be the 'intelligence' you were speaking of.)

and....drum roll please...a whopping -

(8) - Actually made a rational argument as to why or where the Policy is flawed or ill-timed etc.

That's less than 15%! The rest stuck to that tried and true "MOVEON.org - A.N.S.W.E.R." type of protest-poster-slogan mentality that only serves as 'verbal-velcro' for those whose thinking is fuzzy on any given subject.

[eew777]

The only way to really understand the newly published topic on "President Bush has signed an order asserting the United States' right to deny adversaries access to space . . ." is by understanding the New Vision policy of 2004 in conjunction with new U.S. space laws.

[talkingham]

Well, it's kind of like Glaxy Quest but sadly it is real. Aliens saw the broadcast about the Bush government and plans for space and thought they were real and not a bunch of hokum. Now we really are under attack.

Raise the shields. Phasers off stun.