UNDERSECRETARY OF STATE FOR ARMS CONTROL AND INTERNATIONAL SECURITY ROBERT G. JOSEPH'S REMARKS ON THE PRESIDENT'S NATIONAL SPACE POLICY AS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY AT THE CENTER FOR SPACE AND DEFENSE FORUM.

Original Source: Political Transcript Wire

UNDERSECRETARY JOSEPH'S REMARKS ON THE PRESIDENT'S NATIONAL SPACE POLICY AS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY AT THE CENTER FOR SPACE AND DEFENSE FORUM, COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO, AS RELEASED BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT

JANUARY 11, 2007

SPEAKER: UNDERSECRETARY OF STATE FOR ARMS CONTROL AND INTERNATIONAL SECURITY ROBERT G. JOSEPH [*] JOSEPH: Good afternoon. I would like to thank Ambassador Roger Harrison and the Center for Space and Defense Studies, as well as Steve Flannigan and the National Defense University, for this opportunity to discuss and explain the President's recently released National Space Policy -- the first issued in over 10 years.

The purpose of President's new National Space Policy is to set forth a comprehensive approach to govern current and future capabilities for, and conduct of, U.S. space activities. The policy articulates a number of substantive objectives; the primary one is to ensure that we maintain and enable free access to and use of space for peaceful purposes for the United States and all nations of the world -- and for the benefit of all mankind. This is a goal for both our government and our industry.

The President's policy also mandates the pursuit of programs and capabilities to ensure that our space assets are protected. Put simply, these assets are vital to our national security, including our economic interests, and must be defended.

We have all seen the critiques of U.S. space policy: that the United States moving to "weaponize" space, that this represents a U.S. posture of hostility or -- at best -- of unilateralism. While we encourage discussion and debate of the type represented by this Forum, I have to say that these critiques, while they may be valid with respect to the space programs of some countries, are not valid with respect to the United States.

At the same time, we must be very concerned about the emerging threats to our space assets and about the possibility that others will take advantage of our dependence on, and vulnerability in space to seek asymmetrical advantages over us. Unfortunately, recalling Teddy Roosevelt's often cited advice that the United States should "speak softly but carry a big stick," we might well be accused today of speaking loudly without the benefit of any stick -- big or small. They would have it both ways -- by exempting their anti-satellite weapons from the category of space weapons, while including our defenses in this category.

Some countries that are currently investing in counter-space capabilities are acting in a manner that puts a much different spin on Teddy Roosevelt's advice: they are preparing big sticks for their use, while proposing a ban that would impede our ability to develop and deploy missile defenses, and would almost certainly prevent us from fielding shields against their sticks.

In the next 15 minutes or so, I would like to provide a better understanding of the thinking behind the President's National Space Policy. Specifically, I would like to first highlight the important contributions of space…