China warns of 'arms race in outer space'

Give China full credit for being disingenuous.

First off, define "outer space."

Second, define "arms race."

Third, let's talk about "space weapons." Almost anything that operates in, to, through, or from space can have the effect of being a weapon. Including the space shuttle.

Finally, let's talk about "peaceful purposes" regarding space.

Is it a peaceful use of space if we use the space domain to stop an adversary's nuclear weapons from hitting the United States? Speaking for myself, I'm thinking...yes.

"N0 arms race in outer space" is Chinese code for "no missile defense." China has made a massive investment in short range missiles and many of them are available for use against Taiwan. These missiles are also useful against other neighbors, even if it is just to sustain the existent relationship. China has become very good at manufacturing things, but is not nearly so good at creating complex and networked effects like missile defense. We are in an era where stopping someone (say, China) from doing something (say, threatening neighbors) we don't want them to do is as important and perhaps much more so, as our own ability to kill people and break their stuff.

Russia sees U.S. space threat, builds new rocket

Wow. I think the problem of lead-based paint contaminating the food and water supplies (and affecting brain function) in at least some parts of Russia may take years to solve.

Russian news agencies quoted the Commander of the Russian Air Force, General Alexander Zelin, as saying the U.S. will have space-based offensive weapons by 2030 that will be able to hit any target in Russia.

Of course, the Russian Defense Ministry had said in June that President Bush had a plan to deploy weapons in space. However, the Russians ignore one critical fact: because there is no funding for a space-weapons program, there is not a space-weapons program.

Zelin points out that Russia is now developing the S-500, a fifth-generation surface to air missile system. I don't doubt that the Russians desire such a system, but given the non-success of their Bulava SLBM, I'll take a wait and see approach.