UK Defence Secretary to boost ability to handle space threat from Russia, China

[rooster59]

UK Defence Secretary to boost ability to handle space threat from Russia, China

 

FILE PHOTO: Britain's Defence Secretary Ben Wallace arrives in Downing Street, London, Britain, June 16, 2020. REUTERS/John Sibley/File Photo

 

(Reuters) - Britain will boost its ability to handle threats posed by Russia and China in space as part of a foreign, security and defence policy review being conducted by the UK government, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said late on Saturday.

 

On Thursday, Britain said it was concerned about a Russian satellite test which involved the launch of a projectile with the "characteristics of a weapon".

 

"This week we have been reminded of the threat Russia poses to our national security with the provocative test of a weapon-like projectile from a satellite threatening the peaceful use of space", Wallace wrote in The Sunday Telegraph newspaper, adding that China also posed a threat.

 

"China, too, is developing offensive space weapons and both nations are upgrading their capabilities. Such behaviour only underlines the importance of the review the (UK) government is currently conducting", he added.

 

Tensions between Britain and Russia have been high in recent weeks, as Britain has targeted Russians with new sanctions, accused Russian actors of trying to meddle in last year's election and said Moscow has tried to hack into vaccine research.

 

Separately, Britain announced on Monday it would suspend its extradition treaty with Hong Kong in an escalation of a dispute with China over its introduction of a national security law for the former British colony.

 

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered equipment from China's Huawei Technologies to be purged completely from Britain's 5G network by the end of 2027.

 

China - once courted as the prime source of investment in British infrastructure projects - has accused Britain of pandering to the United States.

 

The Mail on Sunday newspaper reported that Johnson was also set to overhaul the United Kingdom's treason laws to counter threats posed by China and Russia, with the step likely to see a new Treason Act, a new Espionage Act and a rewriting of the Official Secrets Act.

 

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Sandra Maler)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-07-26

 

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[Chomper Higgot]

Make noises about fixing the ‘Russian space threat’ and leave the political interference and electoral process wide open.... don’t even investigate.

[Brunolem]

Nothing happens in the UK without some hidden Russian or Chinese intervention, and if nothing happens, then it means that the two probably are plotting something...

 

[Stargeezr]

I believe that there are several weaponized satellites in orbit right now.

  I also think that in the future there will be lots.more, some with lasers on

board as well as conventional missiles and other types of weapons including

explosives.  That is just the kind of world we all live in, trust no one,

believe very few.

Geezer

[bendejo]

This means big "Space Force" -type projects, which means big money, which means big aerospace and munitions companies and all the inherent corruption that goes along with the transfer of money from taxpayer's coffers to industry.  Research and development alone cost huge sums, and then comes the ridiculously huge costs of construction and deployment.  

I wouldn't be at all surprised to hear that certain U.S. entities have been putting such ideas into BoJo's ear.

 

 

[from the home of CC]

16 hours ago, bendejo said:

This means big "Space Force" -type projects, which means big money, which means big aerospace and munitions companies and all the inherent corruption that goes along with the transfer of money from taxpayer's coffers to industry.  Research and development alone cost huge sums, and then comes the ridiculously huge costs of construction and deployment.  

I wouldn't be at all surprised to hear that certain U.S. entities have been putting such ideas into BoJo's ear.

 

 

yes, not as lucrative as a full blown war but still many scoops of swill thrown into the trough..

[Morch]

19 hours ago, bendejo said:

This means big "Space Force" -type projects, which means big money, which means big aerospace and munitions companies and all the inherent corruption that goes along with the transfer of money from taxpayer's coffers to industry.  Research and development alone cost huge sums, and then comes the ridiculously huge costs of construction and deployment.  

I wouldn't be at all surprised to hear that certain U.S. entities have been putting such ideas into BoJo's ear.

 

 

 

The R&D, though, is almost bound to come up with some nice stuff for all of us, somewhere done the road.

[impulse]

I suspect that most threats are delivered in 40' shipping containers.

 

With millions of them crossing the sea every year, seems like a country would have to be stupid to spend a bunch of money on an elaborate space based delivery system.  Just ship a few over disguised as auto parts or CNC machines, and sit back at the Politburo with a smartphone and an app.

 

Though, Chinese and Russkie satellites do make for great 007 plots- even if they've been done to death.

 

[impulse]

20 hours ago, bendejo said:

This means big "Space Force" -type projects, which means big money, which means big aerospace and munitions companies and all the inherent corruption that goes along with the transfer of money from taxpayer's coffers to industry.  Research and development alone cost huge sums, and then comes the ridiculously huge costs of construction and deployment.  

I wouldn't be at all surprised to hear that certain U.S. entities have been putting such ideas into BoJo's ear.

 

Boeing and Airbus have to make up their Covid shortfalls somehow.  Nobody will be needing any new airliners for years.

 

[Pilotman]

How exactly? 

[herfiehandbag]

I am irresistibly reminded of the old joke about one of the early tests of the USA's “Star Wars” project.

 

A Pentagon spokesman described the results as encouraging.

 

5 minutes after they rested the weapon, the moon went out!

[elliss]

On 7/26/2020 at 10:02 AM, Brunolem said:

Nothing happens in the UK without some hidden Russian or Chinese intervention, and if nothing happens, then it means that the two probably are plotting something...

 

 

      America must surely , have some intervention into UK , Government decisions ..?

 

Edited July 28, 2020 by elliss

[elliss]

5 hours ago, from the home of CC said:

yes, not as lucrative as a full blown war but still many scoops of swill thrown into the trough..

 

 Good point .

      However we are led to believe that the new war is against Covid 19 .

   

Edited July 28, 2020 by elliss