William J. Broad on United States Space Force. A s

William J. Broad on United States Space Force. A super short review.


The New York Times published "How Space Became the Next 'Great Power' Contest Between the US and China" (By William J. Broad. Jan. 24, 2021) (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/24/us/ politics / trump-biden-pentagon-space-missiles-satellite.html)

How did we understand this publication?

The author recalls that “Mr. Trump presented the initiative [the creation of the Space Force, a new branch of the US military] as his own, and it [this initiative] now suffers from an association with him [Trump] and remains the brunt of jokes on television. But its [the Space Force] creation was also the culmination of strategic choices by his predecessors, Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, to counter an emboldened China that raised bipartisan alarm. "

The author (William J. Broad is a science journalist and senior writer at The New York Times) sets the task: to consider the feasibility of creating the US Space Force.

His thought (according to our understanding) moves along the following trajectory.

“For years, the Chinese studied — with growing anxiety — the American military, especially its invasions of Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003. The battlefield successes were seen as rooted in space dominance. Planners noted that thousands of satellite-guided bombs and cruise missiles had rained down with devastating precision on Taliban forces and Iraqi defenses. ”

China responded by the developing, creation of anti-satellite weapons.

The US satellite constellation found itself under threat. (Only the satellite one?)

The author sees the following main options for attacking a satellite constellation:

1. Rocket attacks,
2. Laser attacks,
3. Hacker attacks.

However, the author does not set the task to fully explain all possible options for attacks on the satellite constellation. These three main types of attacks are mentioned for a multi-sided presentation.

So, with the development of anti-satellite weapons, the US satellite constellation is under threat.

This group should be protected. Accordingly, the US Space Force was created.

The author practically does not describe, neither the composition of the US Space Forces, nor their tasks (the main task is to protect the satellite constellation?), nor their strategy, nor their tactics ...

However, the author expresses concern - does the creation of the Cosmic Forces push the opposite side to respond? And won't the response be more effective than the US activity?

As an example of the possible superiority of China, the following statement is presented: "Beijing might one day possess a super-secure network for global communications."

As for the USSR, "" The Soviets were never able to match, much less overcome, America’s technological superiority,” they [US Administration officials in their report] wrote . - "The same may not be true for China."

This is how we understand this material.

Both our perception of the material and the version of the rationale for the creation of Space Forces presented in the material can be a subject for analysis and discussion.

Nevertheless, the material seemed to us interesting enough to compose an ultra-short review.

A small amount of information from the area of limited access is moving into the media space - a space widely available to the public, for politicians, for those who approve the budget and formulate the foundations of the policy line.

Gradually, the superpowers are moving the struggle for supremacy upper a level unattainable for the overwhelming majority of states.


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February 28, 2021 22:26


Translation from Russian into English: February 28, 2021 23:16.
Владимир Владимирович Залесский “Уильям Дж. Броуд о Космических силах США. Супер-краткая рецензия”.