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Biden Space

VP Harris Addresses National Security Norms in Space

By Keith Cowing
NASA Watch
April 18, 2022
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VP Harris Addresses National Security Norms in Space

Vice President Harris Advances National Security Norms in Space
“Today at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, Vice President Kamala Harris announced that the United States commits not to conduct destructive, direct-ascent anti-satellite (ASAT) missile testing, and that the United States seeks to establish this as a new international norm for responsible behavior in space. The Vice President also called on other nations to make similar commitments and to work together in establishing this as a norm, making the case that such efforts benefit all nations. At the Biden-Harris Administration’s first National Space Council meeting in December, Vice President Harris tasked the National Security Council staff to work with the Department of Defense, the Department of State, and other national security agencies to develop proposals for national security space norms that advance U.S. interests and preserve the security and sustainability of space. The commitment announced today is the first initiative under this effort. The United States is the first nation to make such a declaration.”
CSF Applauds VP Harris’ Commitment Not to Conduct Destructe, Direct-Ascent ASAT Missile Testing, Commercial Spaceflight Federation
SWF Applauds US Policy to Commit not to Conduct Destructive ASAT tests, Urges Other States to Join, Secure World Foundation
Remarks by Vice President Harris on the Ongoing Work to Establish Norms in Space, White House

NASA Watch founder, Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA, Away Teams, Journalist, Space & Astrobiology, Lapsed climber.

10 responses to “VP Harris Addresses National Security Norms in Space”

  1. Tom Billings says:
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    Logically, someone had to say this first, …I’m glad it is the US.

    I *do* think this *far* from the last step, … but it is one of the first steps.

    There has to be at least 3 different things happening diplomatically and institutionally:

    1.) Commitment to not undo the good spaceflight is now doing, by either accident or warfare.

    2.) Commitment to intercommunication between all who use Space, through social institutions that have *fast* access to all the information needed to avoid kinetically fragmenting pollution of LEO-CisLunar Space, in particular through specific government agencies with both oversight *and* enforcement authority.

    3.) Commitment to demonstration of and alert-ready deployment of several *non-fragmenting* means of enforcement, from launch to re-entry, and everywhere in between, for every agency that participates in the networked agencies of #2. Let no one think that will be done easily! Non-fragmenting means near-to-rendezvous velocity vectors, which is *much* more delta-V intensive for any spacecraft making such action possible than simple impact in anything like the same time frame.

    *If* we can get the many steps in each of these 3 institutional networks set up, then we can lay to rest the fears of accidental or intentional creation of any active “Kessler Syndrome” events.

    May the actions suit the words!

  2. Bad Horse says:
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    You know the governments who want to hurt us (Russia and China) will never agree to do this. One day we will need the ability to remove the enemy’s capability to see our forces from orbit and communicate by satellite.
    I can 100% assure you they will try and do it to us.

    • Zed_WEASEL says:
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      The US ability to remove hostile orbital assets is not that far away. A certain US space launch company have a vehicle in the works that is remarkably similar to a space vehicle in the James Bond “You Only Live Twice” movie.

    • DiscipleY says:
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      Lots of ways to do this aside from using an ASAT.

  3. David Fowler says:
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    I’m not sure a unilateral disarmament will work in our favor here.

    • fcrary says:
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      The statement doesn’t say anything about disarmament. It said the US will not test anti-satellite weapons. Our current ASAT capabilities basically involve missiles like the SM3, and we aren’t throwing those away. Any anti-ballistic missile can be used as an anti-satellite weapon with some minor tweaks to the targeting software. So the statement really means that we already have anti-satellite weapons and no longer feel the need to test them by shooting down satellites.

  4. Juisarian says:
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    No one’s going to be impressed by this. US has zero credibility regarding arms control especially when you’re talking about a capability they’ve already developed but very few others have. Maybe get back to me when you’ve rejoined the ABM and INF treaties, then you might be worth listening to.

    • Terry Stetler says:
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      We left the INF treaty because our partner was already in violation at every turn. Who was that? Russia. Given their aggression over the last 15 years abrogating the ABM treaty was just sensible.

  5. SouthwestExGOP says:
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    This was the right thing to do, just as we also do not (legally) dump hazardous waste in the ocean, we do not test nuclear weapons in the atmosphere. I worked on the last US test of the air launched ASAT and it was a fun experience (I hate to admit that) but if we use these weapons we fill orbits that we want to use with debris.

  6. David Fowler says:
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    “DoD a main proponent of anti-satellite test ban: ‘We are not disarming’”
    https://spacenews.com/dod-a