Global Engagement Act

[nldscout]

After reading this, I would say that there are a whole lot of PHd's that the Air Force contracted with to produce another long winded white paper on a sunject they don't really understand. Happpens all the time, they hire a bunch of high paid, high degree, NO common sense people, give them a big chunk of our taxpayer money to write a paper on a subject that most of us could not care less about. I predict in a year or two, the AF will hire someone else to update this "VISION" with a new one. Which by the way , won't mean anything either.

 

Just my "VISION" after being in the military for 26 yrs, seeing this same thing day in and day out.

[Proud Eagle]

on the issue of weapons and space:

 

It is my understanding that there are currently three catagories of weapons the USAF wishes to have the use space in a direct way. ICBMs would need to travel through space to the target after ground launch. The mid-coarse interceptor is designed to take down enemy ICBMs (actually the reintry vehicles deployed by them) while in space, though it is not yet fully operational. There is also a derivitave of the same kenetic energy kill system being developed to destroy hostile satalites in orbit, though it hasn't been tested to my knowledge. I really can't see how either of the two new weapons can seem that threatening. In general they are both defensive weapons.

 

Also, the old space based missile shield idea hasn't totally died. There are at least a few related technologies still recieving research funding. Every so often someone will write a paper outlining the potential future capability of such a system.

 

I would expect the US to eventually develope a broad range of weapons based on the ground that would use space as transit point to their targets on the surface. I also expect a broad range of ground based weapons designed to be used against targets in space. Further I would expect deployment of space based weapons systems in the long term to ensure that other nations do not achieve military dominance of space. Space is the ultimate high ground. It must never be ceded to the potential enemies of America.

 

 

Oh, and about those Ph.D. people... I would guess that is spot on. Most of the language in that thing is purely fluff. I can't imagine any of the people I know in the various services writing anything like that. It certainly doesn't fit the Army writing style as it was outlined to me, though maybe the Air Force does things differently.