GETTING SERIOUS ABOUT SPACE SECURITY
As part of a major overhaul of space policy, the U.S. military's responsibility to protect American interests will soon be extended to commercial satellites orbiting the Earth, Reuters (February 8) reports. Col. Anthony Russo, head of U.S. Strategic Command's space division, announced the change in early February at a forum organized by the Center for Media and Security. Although a full draft of the official policy expansion is not yet publicly available, Col. Russo stated that it tasks the U.S. military with taking "all appropriate measures" to defend space assets. Russo made clear that this protection includes commercial satellites, even those not directly serving the U.S. government. He stressed the necessity of these added protective measures, noting that threats to America's extensive satellite network are only expected to increase in coming years.
TURKEY: BACK ON THE TABLE
Growing worries over expanding Iranian and Syrian strategic capabilities are leading the Turkish government to revive its interest in missile defense. According to the February 16th edition of Jane's Missiles and Rockets, officials in Ankara - citing Syria's Scud-D upgrades and Iranian work on the "Shahab-3" medium-range missile - are now actively seeking to procure a long-range surface-to-air system capable of protecting against ballistic missile threats. The anti-missile systems currently under consideration in Ankara are said to include Israel's Arrow-2, the U.S. Patriot, and Russia's S-300PMU-2.
X MARKS THE SPOT
Washington and Tokyo have announced a timetable for the deployment of an X-band radar system to Japan. The February 8th edition of the Yomiuri Shimbun reports that the United States is planning to have the advanced ballistic missile detection platform in place and operational within six months. The future site of the installation has not yet been determined, but Japan's Shakiri Air Station in northern Honshu is apparently a leading candidate to host the advanced radar array. When the system finally comes online, it will be capable of linking with existing American and Japanese early warning radars, enabling the two countries to share information on ballistic missile launch in near-real-time.
SYRIA'S MISSILE STRIDES
The regime of Bashar al-Assad in Damascus is continuing to make substantial progress on its missile capabilities, courtesy of the DPRK. Geostrategy-Direct (week of February 20) reports that over the past three years, North Korean assistance has helped to substantially enhance Syria's existing arsenal of Scud-D medium-range missiles. According to the intelligence newsletter, Syria's upgraded Scuds now boast a range of some 700 kilometers, as well as a separating warhead capable of carrying chemical or biological payloads.
RE-ENGAGING CANADA?
When it came to power in the fall of 2004, the Liberal government of Paul Martin in Canada was seen as a major potential missile defense partner for the Bush administration. But in February 2005, Martin dashed these hopes when he publicly ruled out the possibility of his country's participation in U.S. missile defense plans. Now, however, governmental changes in Ottawa have revived the possibility of cooperation. Last month, Canada's Conservatives outmaneuvered the Liberal Party in parliamentary elections, ushering in what could become a new direction for Canadian defense policy.
The Associated Press (February 20) reports that as one of its first policy priorities, the government of new Prime Minister Stephen Harper is planning to upgrade and expand the existing bilateral defense bonds between Washington and Ottawa. Among the topics on the table is greater cooperation on maritime surveillance between the two countries - and the possibility of a renewed dialogue over Canada's participation in the Bush administration's missile defense efforts.
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