9/11: Weaponization of Space

The Neocon PNAC document Rebuilding America's Defences famously advocated a 'New Pearl Harbour' that would provide the impetus to radically transform the US military including the domination of space and weaponizing space itself.

Yesterday's Sun of all places (via the NYT) is now reporting one part of that:

"AMERICA is secretly working on a RAY GUN to destroy enemy spacecraft, it was revealed yesterday. President Bush has given the go-ahead to create the weapon to zap satellites in orbit. Laser experiments are being carried out in the New Mexico desert [...]The US military is spending around £11million this year on the laser weapon research [...] Laser work has previously been hidden in a budget category that paid for a range of space activities. But it was revealed this year when moved to a new heading, “Advanced Weapons Technology”. In January 2001, a commission led by Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld warned that America faced a potential Pearl Harbour in space and called for an arsenal of space weapons."

Interesting that the Sun reminded us of Rumsfeld talking about Pearl Harbours as he is often speculated to have been part of making the last one happen, and although the Sun seems to be describing tests of ground based lasers (better report here), a great deal more has been spent on weapons with a space theme that the trivial $11 million Murdoch spins it as. The New York Times reported in terrifying detail a year ago that the drive to weaponize space itself was under way:

"With little public debate, the Pentagon has already spent billions of dollars developing space weapons and preparing plans to deploy them"

Weaponizing space Pentagon PNAC 9/11 Rumsfeld