One litmus test of whether or not you’re doing the right thing in America is gauging the Chinese reaction to it. They’re unhappy about a lot that President Trump has done, which means that he’s doing a lot right.
The Communist Chinese are outraged that the US created a dedicated space force. They verbally attacked its creation earlier this week by labeling it a ‘direct threat to outer space peace and security’.
Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters that China is ‘deeply concerned about it and resolutely opposed to it’.
‘The relevant U.S. actions are a serious violation of the international consensus on the peaceful use of outer space, undermine global strategic balance and stability, and pose a direct threat to outer space peace and security,’ Geng said at a regular briefing.
In 2007, China conducted an unannounced missile strike against one of its own defunct satellites, creating an enormous amount of space debris. Geng dismissed such concerns, calling them ‘unfounded counter charges’ that merely provided the U.S. with a justification for its own actions. China, he said, has consistently opposed the weaponization of space and believes international treaties on arms control in outer space need to be negotiated.
Space has become increasingly important to the U.S. economy and to everyday life. The Global Positioning System, for example, provides navigation services to the military as well as civilians. Its constellation of about two dozen orbiting satellites is operated by the 50th Space Wing from an operations center at Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado.
China has established a similar, independent network, the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, assembled from 42 separate satellite launches. The Asian superpower announced this month that the $9 billion Beidou system, which aims to rival US-developed GPS, will be complete next year.
Poke, poke, poke.
For some reason I have those infamous words from that great Christmas movie – Diehard – in my head, "Welcome to party pal!"
I'm good with anytime a foreign dictator is upset with what this President is doing. I say, "Tough darts, America comes first bucko…try and keep up."
All for the Space Force.
Don't like it China? Well xin lỗi as we used to say back in the day.
The opportunity opens for the creation of a awesome new service branch. The same opportunity exists for the creation of a money sucking white elephant. One hopes the leadership will be bold people with a vision and not politically correct hacks.
Concur, they have NO room to talk, and it will be interesting to see if our GPS satellites suddenly start going offline in the next year or so… There is a REASON the Navy has gone back to teaching Celestial Nav and Morse Code…
Also, the U.S. Army is teaching ' charts and darts ' field artillery. I don't know if they stopped teaching that for a while, but I was happy to read that it is currently being taught. That is what I learned before the electronics were brought in, and with that and commo wire, fire support can be maintained 'most all the time. Those on the sharp end seem to like having 155mm friends.
Space is a great thing and is the ultimate ' high ground ', but ' boots on the ground ' are what wins wars ( despite what the zoomies think ).
Paul L. Quandt
I have been saying and writing that we are going to end up fighting the PRC for a number of years. I am most happy to see more people coming to that understanding. The PRC seems to think that because they are the most enlightened and intelligent people on Earth ( just ask them ), they should run things everywhere. Some of us barbarians disagree with that notion.
Thanks for the post.
Paul L. Quandt
China is still behind the curve, but they can cause significant havoc by shooting down satellites. You know that they've done a solid job stealing secrets, and Feinstein's driver of 20 years was spying for Beijing. Still and all, moves like creating a Space Force with its own budget might mean that we can stay ahead where it counts.
The Private might be ale to arrange for an inter-service transfer since he's in the Signal Corps. You should ask him. It might be good to have a Starship Trooper in the family.
Absolutely.
The Air Force has a 'corporate' view of things, but a bolder vision might emerge once the Space Force cuts the apron string.
When the sophisticated machines break, you can use semaphore flags to call in artillery support.
Right now their economy is struggling.
Good.
Let's see…
The Soviets actually had a friggin 23mm cannon on one of their space stations.
Red China has created anti-satellite systems and used them, so far only on one of their own sats, or have they…???
And we creating a Space Force is the issue?
Bah. Screw them. Or don't screw them at all.
I suspect Trump will initiate that, having come from years of difficult commercial development projects the guy looks at problems very differently, and has the unique ability to see the interaction of many moving parts where others see chaos. Not many can do that while initiating solutions.
Then again, my worldview just massively shrunk in the last few hours and my attitude is the Chi-Com's can eat my shorts…we had to put our favorite mare down…worse my wife is the vet. Puts things in perspective real quick. (my commenting is somewhat cathartic)
If "International Law" has any place, it should stop countries from deliberately creating more space junk like China did by shooting down one of their own satellites.
I'll bet those Space Force dress blues are sharp, with rings around the arms like in The Jetsons, instead of epaulets. Or better yet, arm rings IN ADDITION to epaulets.
Snazzy….
Yes, certainly; as long as there are people trained in using semaphore flags. Also, the flags are limited by line of sight; of which all sorts of conditions produce limitations.
Paul
You've a passion for fashion, Fredd.
International Law, such as it is, only seems to apply to the USA.
Screw 'em sideways, Beans.
It's a gift.
And it will continue to struggle for the unforeseeable future, now that their cheatin', stealin', lyin' most-favored-nation-ways are exposed as unacceptable to the U.S. and its long term interests. They can't continue to expand their military nearly as much now that they are broke.
Much of the military's budget comes from tourism. The PLA owns hotels, restaurants, whorehouses, seaside resorts, travel companies, etc. The PLA is expected to "pay its own way" as much as possible, separate from the national budget. So cutting travel to China would do more to hurt the PLA than anything else. Of course, not manipulating the currency will hurt them too. As with North Korea, they feed themselves as well. During planting and harvesting, the regiments take to the fields. Obviously, that's not the same scenario with US Army, Navy, Space Force and Air Force. (The Marines are a subset of the Navy – live with it ;^)
Ok, I'm not volunteering to stand up in the presence of small arms fire and semaphore in artillery strikes. I was never dumb enough for that. I was dumb enough to volunteer, but there are things that even a go-getter pauses at.
I've noticed.
THERE IS NO, REPEAT, NO SUCH THING AS INTERNATIONAL LAW!!
In order for there to be law, there must be a law enforcement agency. Show me a real, effective international law enforcement agency and I will acknowledge International Law. From time to time, various nations pretend to let their own law enforcement agencies act as international law enforcement, but only so long as it does not harm their own interests.
( Do you think that I might feel strongly about this subject? )
Paul L. Quandt
I thought that the US Marine Corps was the world's policeman. (heavy snark)
Never, I say again, never send in the Marines when a nuke will do just as well, or better. ( No snark. )
Paul
I did mobile tropo scatter for a wile. We did LOS and over-the-horizon. Forward air support. Not all zoomies fly, but most support the ground-pounders in welcome ways.
I wonder if they still do that.
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