a first for the Defense Department, despite long-standing verbal pledges by top brass about “responsible” behavior in space.
At the same time, the memo leaves DoD an enormous amount of operational flexibility — including the possibility of testing and using weapons (for example, lasers or even ground-based missiles) to take down adversary satellites as long as any space debris created is not “long lived.” As one insider said, US military leaders always will avoid, if possible, making binding “red line” commitments.
The one-page memo lays out five “Tenets of Responsible Behavior” for DoD space operations:
1 Operate in, from, to, and through space with due regard to others and in a professional manner.
2 Limit the generation of long-lived debris
3 Avoid the creation of harmful interference.
4 Maintain safe separation and safe trajectory.
5 Communicate and make notifications to enhance the safety and stability of the domain.
A number of outside experts welcomed the memo — which reportedly has been in the works for more than a year, dating back to the Trump administration.
I hope to see similar official policies from other major space powers and also some discussions between them about how to interpret some of these terms in a common way.”
Me: Maintain safe separation = use of nukes
some thing big is going on above us guys
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link to breakingdefense.com (secure)]
Last Edited by Buck Rogers on 07/20/2021 10:56 PM
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