LAST WEEK, the United States successfully shot down a defective satellite that, in falling out of orbit, threatened to strike the earth at an indeterminate location. Besides the technical feat of shooting down a moving object 130 miles above the earth, the shot held extended international significance. Many countries, particularly China and Russia, harbor concerns that the falling satellite merely provided an excuse for the United States to test an anti-satellite weapon, which could, in case of war, be deployed against the communications and intelligence-gathering satellites of the enemy. The United States government claims that destroying the satellite was merely a measure to prevent the satellite from harming any people upon its reentry. Regardless of its purported intent, the capability to shoot down a satellite marks a significant adaptation in United States military technology and should send an important message to the rest of the world.
This message -- that the United States possesses the ability to destroy communications and spy satellites -- is especially important in light of the changing role of technology in warfare and international politics. This past year has seen a rise in cyber terrorism, including potentially state sponsored attacks. Last year, for example, Estonia's internet fell prey to Russian hackers that the country believed were encouraged by the Kremlin. Though recent reports suggest a lone (Russian) hacker to be responsible, this is not the only assault on Eastern European technology, as Russian opposition parties have also accused the Kremlin of attacking their Web sites in an attempt to stifle their political efficacy and free communication.
While not directly related to the importance of satellites, the rise in cyber terrorism, which may or may not originate from the Russian government, demonstrates the growing importance of digital communications in international affairs, and satellites form a major part of this communications system. Thus, they are of significant strategic importance, and the ability of one country or another to reach them provides a strategic advantage over others.
The satellite shoot-down increases in importance as last year, China, unabashedly and essentially without warning, shot a weather satellite out of orbit with a ballistic missile, sparking great concern in the international community, particularly from the United States and Japan. Ironically, China has been one of the most outspoken critics of the United States' exercise and has been continually calling on the government to provide more information on the destruction of the satellite. The difference between the American and Chinese actions lies in the fact that the Chinese acted without a legitimate purpose, simply choosing to destroy an inactive satellite rather than one posing a potential health threat.Also, the Chinese action took the world by surprise, whereas the United States announced its intentions well in advance.
The fear with any tests of this kind is that tit-for-tat exercises will spark a new arms race, one ordered around space weapons, a new sort of "Star Wars" program. We can only hope no such race develops, but at the same time, the United States cannot afford to be caught unprepared. With tensions with the Chinese seemingly always aggravated -- for example, a mere two weeks ago, several men in the United States government and government contractors were arrested as Chinese spies -- the United States cannot afford to give away any edge in military capabilities. Nor can it let international outcries by countries that are actively engaged in similar quasi-belligerent practices keep it from doing so.
The same principle applies to an even greater extent in the United States' desire to establish a missile defense system in Eastern Europe, meant to detect and destroy any threat incoming from a country like Iran, Russia or even North Korea. The Russians have protested this vociferously, as they see it as American encroachment into their sphere of influence, as well as a threat to their own security and a potential catalyst to another arms race. America's interests, however, encourage this system, especially from an increasingly aggressive Iran (which Russia also happens to supply with nominally civilian nuclear aid).
The satellite shoot-down and the proposed missile shield represent major advances in American defense technology in an attempt to keep up with a world in which threats change rapidly, from space-capable weapons to computer attacks on national infrastructures. As threats evolve, America must develop its defense systems accordingly, taking every precaution to prevent vulnerability.
Robby Colby's column appears Thursdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can reached at rcolby@cavalierdaily.com.
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