Officials fear war in space by China

With a bit more information on the ChiComs’ A-SAT (Anti-SATellite) system, there is nothing to ease the concerns that had resulted from said test.

China’s anti-satellite-interceptor test Jan. 11 is part of a covert space-weapons program designed to cripple the U.S. military in a conflict, defense officials said yesterday as Beijing confirmed it had destroyed one of its weather satellites. China said it had not “weaponized” space.

Of COURSE not! There are currently no admitted ChiCom weapons in space, so therefore, space is not weaponized! Voila! Of course, there is another aspect of this noted further into the article:

The report also stated that three books written by Chinese colonels in 2001, 2002 and 2005 contain “proposals for covert deployment of anti-satellite weapons directed at U.S. assets.” One author, Col. Jia Junming, stated in his 2002 book that Chinese space-weapons development should be covert and “intense internally but relaxed in external appearance to maintain our good international image and position.” The 2005 book, “Joint Space War Campaigns,” by Col. Yuan Zelu, calls for deploying an orbiting network of strike weapons that “will be concealed and launched only in a crisis or emergency” to “bring the opponent to his knees.”

This is worth a more thorough translation:

“This test was not directed at any country and does not constitute a threat to any country,” Mr. Liu said.

“This test was not directed at any country…” Of COURSE not! The A-SAT was targeted only on one of our own old satellites. No damage to anyone else, right?

“…and does not constitute a threat to any country” How could it be a threat – it is only a test, right?

This article is worth the look, and is the latest in Bill Gerth’s sterling coverage of national security issues vis-a-vis the ChiComs.