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From: cozadde@trsvax.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Re: re: space marines as ASATs - (nf)
Message-ID: <56000018@trsvax.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 21-Jun-84 13:49:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: trsvax.56000018
Posted: Thu Jun 21 13:49:00 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 27-Jun-84 08:38:16 EDT
References: <837@sri-arpa.UUCP>
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Nf-ID: #R:sri-arpa:-83700:trsvax:56000018:000:1949
Nf-From: trsvax!cozadde    Jun 21 12:49:00 1984

#R:sri-arpa:-83700:trsvax:56000018:000:1949
trsvax!cozadde    Jun 21 12:49:00 1984



	Sillyness, sillyness.  The primary purpose of the U.S. ASAT is to
	continue to play the tit for tat game.  Since the Soviet Communist
	Party has developed, tested and deployed their own ASAT system two
	years ago, they have (to the best of my knowledge) damage or destroyed
	3-4 of our satellites.  They used their own ASAT on their own satellites
	but tested their proto-type particle beam weapon on a few of our satel-
	lites.  So for keeping ASATs out of space, you are two years too late.

	The tit-for-tat game is played like this:  The Soviet Communist Party
	becomes upset for some reason with our spy satellite that is used to
	keep an 'eye' on their ICBM missile fields (to prevent a surprise
	attack and to provide confirmation of attack/no attack status in case
	of an 'accident' or 'incident').  So they knock it down with their
	ASAT.  Does this cause WWIII? No.  The U.S. just sends another sate-
	lite up to take its place.  But this can become expensive and well as
	dangerous because it leaves us in the position of 'firing on warning'
	instead of 'firing on actual attack' while the satellite is being re-
	placed.  Without an ASAT capability, the Soviet Communist Party could
	keep this up until we either stop sending up new satellites, go broke
	sending replacements, or have a nervous breakdown trying to guess
	which one is going to be the start of WWIII.  With an ASAT capability,
	the U.S. would simply replace the downed satellite and then knock down
	a Soviet satellite they use to track and target our aircraft carriers
	or SSBNs.  And since the U.S. system is cheaper and more flexible, we
	could keep this game up longer than the Soviets.

	So with ASATs, the balance of power continues.  Without a U.S. ASAT
	capability, the balance of power (terror) shifts towards the Soviet
	Communist Party.


						lt. of marines
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