Page 278 - Space Command News Today

Any astronaut warriors fighting that are going to be fighting wars in space. so i dont foresee that in the scenario or the immediate future so its a little bit puzzling. >> as spb who has been in space what would you want the how to know before they vote on this bill? despite what we dont know about it, what do you think is imperative for them to understand from your perspective? >> i think what we need for them to understand is what caused the idea that we need this. is there a shift in some ki...

The house of representatives. now as you can imagine, not everybody is on board here. the air force has already launched an effort to stop the proposal, in fact, but leroy chow is a former astronaut and flew several subtle missions and aboard the u.s. space station. i asked him about his thoughts on this proposed space force. leroy, i understand that youre part of a small group of people who spent time in space. first of all, your reaction to this proposal. >> well, its a little puzzling. i gues...

Military, and north american space command, the commander there at the base with an update, and good to have you with us. i know you are busy tracking a lot of different issues going on right now, including santa claus. tell us what is going on and wh you expect santa to be doing over the next couple of hours? >> let me just tell you. we just last saw santa over the great wall in china, and he already delivered over 1 billion presents, ayman. can you believe that? >> that i cant believe. impress...

Grave concern that america was not ready for war in space. it was proven right when months later, u.s. space forces were overwhelmed in war games that targeted u.s. space assets. >> it does get ugly in a hurry. if it goes kinetic, it gets ugly really bad. >> kinetic warfare, meaning that shots are fired in space, would cause permanent damage and destruction to the fragile satellites that control much of our life on earth. >> like a space-age paul revere, general william shelton, hytens immediate...

Over time. and thats why we have to be prepared for it. >> colonel deanna burt commands the 50th space wing. its nickname, master of space. this is one of the most restricted areas in all of space command. and the reason is, behind each of these doors are teams that are controlling, flying, really, entirie inconstellations of satellites. behind this door, the gps satellites, behind this door, the milstar satellites. down the hall, secure comes for the military, a favorite of u.s. special forces....

>> but soon after, that debris came to life. lieutenant general david buck, commander of u.s. military space forces, was on duty. >> the one object that we assumed was a piece of debris started to maneuver in close proximity to the booster. >> it has continued to over time make maneuvers? >> were watching it very closely. >> in other words, its not debris, but a satellite with new and dangerous capabilities. hidden from sight in an old airplane hangar at vandenberg is general bucks team. airmen ...

>> if we lost all our gps satellites, it would be a bad day, for sure. >> most people know of gps technology for its mapping capability. and today, the u.s. military depends on that tool. every aircraft, ship, submarine, guided munition, drone, and war-fighter on the ground. >> over half of the munitions were dropping against isis today in centcom are gps-enabled munitions. what that means is were able to strike things more efficiently, more accurately with less civilian casualties or other casu...

World, a runway and aircraft. the 50th space wing calls schriever home. but the birds they fly are hundreds, even thousands of miles above them. and those birds and their pilots are now on a war footing. >> seven is good. >> i think its evident that in any realm man has lived or operated, we have ended up in conflict. >> it sounds like from your point of view, its either a likelihood or a certainty? >> i think its an inevitability over time. and thats why we have to be prepared for it. >> colone...

Skilled. >> today, lieutenant engle, one of space commands newly created defensive duty officers, watches his computer screens with the alertness of a sentry guarding a forward military outpost. skbl >> it takes a lot of vigilance, it takes us being focused and being ready every single day. >> we would absolutely be shocked if the u.s. military were not on a war footing now based on what we see. >> paul gratsani finds his team on the front lines of this new threat. >> theres no doubt that russia...

Hidden from sight in an old airplane hangar at vandenberg is general bucks team. airmen who consider themselves the first space warriors. first lieutenant andrew engle is one of them, assigned to the joint space operation center. one small part of americas space command. its a command with some 38,000 employees, a nearly $9 billion annual budget, and 134 locations across the globe. >> now, when you see a satellite from another country move in space like that, is there any other explanation, exce...