Space Defense Program Gets Extra Funding
By Walter Pincus Monday, November 12, 2007;
Washington Post A19
While wrestling with wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Pentagon is
preparing weapons to fight the next battle from space, according
to information in the 621-page, House-Senate conference report on
the fiscal 2008 defense appropriations bill.
The $459 billion bill, which awaits President Bush’s signature,
provides $100 million for a new “prompt global strike” program
that could deliver a conventional, precision-guided warhead
anywhere in the world within two hours. It takes funds away from
development of a conventional warhead for the Navy’s submarine-
launched Trident Intercontinental Ballistic Missile and from an
Air Force plan for the Common Aero Vehicle.
The new program, dubbed Falcon, for “Force Application and Launch
from CONUS,” centers on a small-launch-vehicle concept of the
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. The agency describes
Falcon as a “a reusable Hypersonic Cruise Vehicle (HCV) capable of
delivering 12,000 pounds of payload at a distance of 9,000
nautical miles from [the continental United States] in less than
two hours.”
Hypersonic speed is far greater than the speed of sound. The
reusable vehicle being contemplated would “provide the country
with significant capability to conduct responsive missions with
quick turn-around sortie rates while providing aircraft-like
operability and mission-recall capability,” according to DARPA.
The vehicle would be launched into space on a rocket, fly on its
own to a target, deliver its payload and return to Earth. In the
short term, a small launch rocket is being developed as part of
Falcon. It eventually would be able to boost the hypersonic
vehicle into space. But in the interim, it will be used to launch
small satellites within 48 hours’ notice at a cost of less than $5
million a shot.
Conferees added $100 million above the Bush administration’s
request for nearly $200 million to accelerate “space situational
awareness.” That is code for protecting U.S. satellites in space
and being able to attack the enemy’s satellites.
“Enhancing these capabilities is critical, particularly following
the Chinese anti-satellite-weapons demonstration last January,”
the conferees wrote in their report. They were referring to a Jan.
11 incident in which a Chinese guided missile destroyed an aging
weather satellite in orbit.
“Counterspace systems” that would warn of impending threats to
U.S. satellites, destroy or defend against attackers, and
interrupt enemy satellites are in the Bush budget for $53 million.
Conferees gave them another $10 million.
One research project of $7 million in that category is directed at
“offensive counterspace,” described in the Pentagon’s presentation
to Congress as designing “the means to disrupt, deny, degrade or
destroy an adversary’s space systems, or the information they
provide.”
Another $18 million would go for research into a second-generation
counter-satellite-communications system; it would explore and
develop capabilities “to provide disruption of satellite
communications signals in response to U.S. Strategic Command
requirements,” according to the Pentagon congressional
presentation. The first-generation system is already operational,
and an upgrade of those capabilities is in production.
The conferees want to increase funds for the Rapid Identification
Detection and Reporting System, which already had $28 million in
the Bush budget. This system is designed to provide “attack
detection, threat identification and characterization, and support
rapid mission impact assessments on U.S. space systems.”
Its first-generation system is scheduled for initial operation at
the end of next year, while the new funds will allow continuation
of research on a second generation, which began this year.
Part of the funding will also go toward work on integrating this
system, which detects enemy threats to U.S. satellites, with the
offensive counterspace and counter-satellite-communications
programs. Eventually, they would be linked with U.S. command-and-
control systems “in support of space control and the counterspace
mission areas,” according to the Pentagon’s presentation to
Congress.
Integration of these developing counterspace missions with a
current command-and-control system is expected by the middle of
2008, according to documents provided to Congress.
National security and intelligence reporter Walter Pincus pores
over the speeches, reports, transcripts and other documents that
flood Washington and every week uncovers the fine print that
rarely makes headlines — but should. If you have any items that
fit the bill, please send them tofineprint@washpost.com.
