Star Wars - now opening at Fylingdales

The New York Times breaks the story that the USAF seeks a Presidential directive for militarising space. Just as the final instalment of Star Wars hits the screens.

Air Force spokeswoman Maj. Karen Finn is quoted , "The focus of the process is not putting weapons in space . . . The focus is having free access in space......To defend the United States of America through the control and exploitation of space."

(Global Security) currently lists a total of 135 US military satellites deployed Russian 61 , China 10 .

The US is anxious for a lead in space wars but is currently fighting the good fight against a mixed crew of suicidal muslims, car bombers, IEDs , small arms, ricin laboratories, and guys walking around New York with nukular bombs in their briefcases - all directed apparently by a guy in a cave on kidney dialysis, with a mobile and laptop.

General James E. Cartwright, head Of U.S. Strategic Command, told Congress in March:

[Our] growing national dependence on space-based and space-enabled capabilities establishes a true imperative to protect our space assets and our ability to operate freely in, and from, space.

The importance of the space mission to our national security cannot be overstated. The US economy, our quality of life, and our nation's defense are all linked to our freedom of action in space.

Probably of greater interest to those warped people who seek a deeper purpose and meaning in all that US military spokespersons say, may like to check out Tony Blair's favourite bedtime reading;

PNAC's Rebuilding America's Defenses: Strategy, Forces and Resources For a New Century (PDF):

"To ensure America's control of space in the near term, the minimum requirements are to develop a robust capability to transport systems to space, carry on operations once there, and service and recover space systems as needed. As outlined by Space Command, carrying out this program would include a mix of re- useable and expendable launch vehicles and vehicles that can operate within space, including "space tugs to deploy, reconstitute, replenish, refurbish, augment, and sustain" space systems. But, over the longer term, maintaining control of space will inevitably require the application of force both in space and from space, including but not limited to anti- missile defenses and defensive systems capable of protecting U.S. and allied satellites; space control cannot be sustained in any other fashion, with conventional land, sea, or airforce, or by electronic warfare. This eventuality is already recognized by official U.S. national space policy, which states that the "Department of Defense shall maintain a capability to execute the mission areas of space support, force enhancement, space control and force application."

Elsewhere in the real world...

This week The Ministry of Defence Police Agency (MDPA) sought an order (ASBO) banning Lindis Percy from an area around the American Menwith Hill base in North Yorkshire.

District Judge Roy Anderson ruled against ASBOs being used as "a club to beat down the expression of legitimate comment".

The powers were intended to tackle "oafish behaviour", he said, not Mrs Percy's non-aggressive protests.

She was, however, placed under an 8 week curfew and is thought to be the first peace protester to be electronically tagged - a sentence she intends to appeal. In 25 years campaigning at the site, Lindis a devout Quaker, grandmother and joint co-ordinator of the Campaign for the Accountability of American Bases has been arrested more than 150 times and spent 161 hours in prison..

Evidently this is the way the authorities intend to use the new powers, against protesters rather than the so called "yob culture" of disaffected youth, they were designed for.

Liberty director Shami Chakrabarti (BBC reports) said the ASBO hearing as "nothing short of a scandal" …."It should provide a salutary lesson to a new parliament faced with a Queen's Speech stuffed with new coercive legislation," she said. "Over-broad powers taken in the name of crime and terrorism are ripe for this kind of abuse."

The MDPA said they would "always uphold the rights of people wishing to carry out lawful demonstrations but if anyone commits a criminal offence we will seek to take action,"

The Home Office refused to comment on individual cases but said ASBOs were a "valuable tool" to protect communities blighted by anti-social behaviour.

Whether this means they will increasingly be used against protesters in the future remains to be seen.