06/15/05

The White House let it be known on May 18 that President Bush will soon issue a national security directive on the subject of weapons in space. The announcement and accompanying statements by Air Force officials, together with earlier developments, reveals much about the connection between missile defense and the militarization of space, and the possible consequences for nuclear proliferation. The president is expected to adopt a new policy incorporating the long-standing view of the Air Force and the present civilian leadership of the Pentagon who advocate U.S. military superiority in space. This view, in its present form, goes back to the 2001 report of the commission headed by Donald Rumsfeld which recommended, among other things, that a) the United States should move forward with a missile defense program and b) the president should have the option of deploying weapons in space...

http://tinyurl.com/7ojhy

from Tom Paine, by Richard F. Kaufman


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp