Rumsfeld Gives Air Force Lead Role in Space Defense

By Susan Ellis
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld announced a sweeping
effort to transform the Department of Defense (DOD) and reform its
structure, processes and organization to "help the United States to
focus on meeting the national security space needs of the 21st
century."

Rumsfeld said May 8 at a Pentagon briefing that he and the director of
central intelligence, who have primary responsibility for the national
security space program, have been meeting regularly to address space
and intelligence matters.

Rumsfeld also said the Defense Department is merging space activities
and adjusting responsibilities that will involve key facets of the
department.

The majority of the changes involve "realigning Air Force headquarters
and field commands to more effectively organize, train, and equip for
space operations, ensuring that the Air Force will become the lead for
space activities," he said.

The changes were spurred by the congressionally-mandated report of the
Commission to Assess United States National Security Space Management
and Organization.

Rumsfeld praised the commission's work and singled out for recognition
Senator Bob Smith, a New Hampshire Republican, for initiating the
legislation that created the commission, and Representative Mac
Thornberry, a Texas Republican, for his support in the effort.

Asked how these plans will play with critics of militarizing space,
Rumsfeld responded that his proposals "have nothing to do with that.
They have to do with organizational arrangements within the department
of defense that put a focus on the important issues relating to space"
-- functions that had been spread around the department, he said,
making it difficult to put "the right kind of focus and the right kind
of emphasis" on space.

"A big change here is making the Air Force the executive agent for
space," Rumsfeld said. "It does not deny the other services their
proper roles. They will have them; but it does allow some
responsibility and accountability to be focused."

Asked repeatedly about weapons in space, a proposed missile defense
system, and the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty, Rumsfeld
echoed President Bush's words spoken at the National Defense
University May 1.

"The President said it all," Rumsfeld said. "He said the ABM Treaty is
designed to prevent countries from creating missile defense
capabilities and he has indicated he believes that the world situation
has changed sufficiently that he wants to begin discussions with
Russia."

Asked when something substantive would be said about plans for
space-based testing of anti-satellite systems, Rumsfeld complained
good humouredly that on the one hand people urge him to "consult," and
on the other "why don't you quit dancing around and just announce it."

The fact is "what we're doing is exactly what we ought to be doing,"
he said. "We're taking an enormously significant issue that deserves
debate (and) discussion, and we are talking to the people in the world
that are important with that subject, people in the Congress ... our
allies around the world," and those particularly interested "like
Russia, and eventually China, and we're going to be discussing what we
have in mind."

And that, he said, is exactly what President Bush said. "There is a
threat out there from rogue states.... Because of proliferation in the
post-Cold War world, countries are gaining access to ballistic
missiles and weapons of mass destruction. We think the only
responsible thing to do is to develop the capability to deal with
that."

However, the current plans for reorganization have "nothing to do with
that," Rumsfeld insisted.

(The Washington File is distributed by the Office of International
Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site:
http://usinfo.state.gov)