Space wars: Congress ponders action after Chinese anti-sat test.

• Author: Magnuson, Stew

For the space community, it was "the shot heard around the world."

On Jan. 11, the Chinese military launched a medium range missile at one of its defunct weather satellites to demonstrate the ability to destroy an enemy spacecraft.

That event followed a series of tests last summer where the People's Liberation Army apparently used lasers to temporarily blind U.S. spy satellites.

The U.S. military's dependence on space-based assets to communicate, gather intelligence and navigate has created an "Achilles' Heel," for any adversary willing to attack them, analysts charge. But as the importance of these critical assets has grown, the ability to defend them has not grown with them, they add.

"I believe this is a clear wake up call to the administration and Congress and the American people," said an indignant Rep. Terry Everett, R-Ala., a member and onetime chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.

Now that the "wake-up call" has been made, will the Chinese test prompt further spending on the defense of space assets? There has always been a vocal minority in Congress pushing for more funding for the sector, but they face critics who correctly note that Air Force and National Reconnaissance Office's satellite systems usually come in late and over budget.

Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., said his fellow senators are up in arms about the test, but he didn't know if the anger would translate to more dollars.

The test "raises the question: what are the Chinese up to? I don't know whether it is going to translate into funding or not. Certainly there's going to be an emphasis back on security space," Allard said at a National Defense Industrial Association conference. "It will help members of Congress to understand how important it is to have the proper security measures taken in space to protect our assets."

Both congressmen are critical of the Defense Department's efforts so far.

"Despite the national security imperatives in space, I believe the department has not devoted sufficient attention to enhancing and defending our space dominance," Allard said.

Said Everett: "Senior military officials, I do not believe, have the necessary resources to address these threats."

Maj. Gen. Mark D. Shackelford, director of plans and requirements at Air Force Space Command, said "such events do not and did not find the military space community asleep at the switch.

"We will take appropriate measures to organize, train and equip space capability ... for such...