October 5, 2006 :: RIA-Novosti :: News
In today’s RIA Novosti, Colonel General Vladimir Popovkin, commander of the Russian Space Troops, describes his vision for Russia’s military space revivial. Up to this point, he acknowledges, the Space Troops have spent their time “averting a potential crisis in military space and space missile defenses, stopping the quantitative and qualitative degradation of the orbital constellation and its ground infrastructure, and creating the preconditions for its revival so that it can fulfill its tasks effectively.” Beginning next year, however, the Space Troops will start launching “new types of military spacecraft under test and deployment programs.” Popovkin expounds upon Russia’s reasons for doing so, taking a not-so-subtle swipe at perceived U.S. space ambitions:
Space infrastructure is now increasing its role throughout the world in boosting both the military might and social and economic prosperity of the leading world states. In military matters, space-based systems are the key to information supremacy. They provide more accurate and prompt information about the situation to all troops and weapons systems. Space resources have therefore become a matter of vital interest for the state economically, politically and militarily.
The drive to possess these resources and control their use may in the foreseeable future expand the sphere of military operations and move them to outer space. Russia is against this scenario in principle, and is making every effort to prevent its realization. But we, like most of the space powers, are considering methods of protecting our orbital constellations of spacecraft and space resources against possible discriminatory and restrictive moves. If foreign states develop and deploy space-strike infrastructure, Russia must be ready to take adequate defensive and offensive measures.
(Article)
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