U.S. 'Asleep' While China Builds Military

July 6, 2002
Jim Burns, CNSNews.com

ARLINGTON, Va. – While the United States pursues its war on terrorism, it is "asleep at the switch" in planning for a possible conflict with China, according to retired U.S. Army Maj. Andy Messing.

China's communist government is "making great strides" in building up its military and plotting ways to "take out [U.S.] intelligence and commercial satellites," he said.

Messing, executive director of the National Defense Foundation, said a war with China would involve a whole new level of technology.

"We're going to have a different type of war with China," said Messing. "It will be a space and air and cyber war and naval war."

And actually, the U.S. and China are already at war, Messing said.

'Over the Barrel on Economic Issues'

"Mainland China is bending us over the barrel on economic issues right now, and so we're in a warfare that we are not even comprehending," Messing said.

"At some point, when they feel they are strong enough, they will segue into declaring that all the space over China is their space. If we fly over it without their permission, they will take out our satellites and thus thousands of jobs."

Messing believes America should spend more money on its space program to head off any Chinese hostilities in space. He says conservatives should be more enthusiastic in their support for the space program.

"The SDI [Strategic Defense Initiative] programs have already developed 3,500 patents that have translated into jobs, which has gotten us closer into space," Messing said.

The government watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense (TCS) says NASA should change its priorities and become more financially efficient if it stands to gain taxpayer support.

In a statement on its Web site, TCS states that "while the space program yielded many successes in years past, taxpayers are no longer getting their money's worth from a space program that focuses on repeating the deeds of yesterday."

According to TCS, "current priorities allow the scientifically and financially bankrupt $100 billion Space Station to absorb a larger and larger share of the NASA budget."

TCS called for the cancellation of the International Space Station program and said Space Shuttles should continue to be launched only for "short duration, human space flights as needed."

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