• ?New: Pentagon Admits On-Orbit Space Weapons for First Time?

    From Lynn McGuire@3:633/10 to All on Tue Sep 15 01:00:15 2026
    ?New: Pentagon Admits On-Orbit Space Weapons for First Time?

    https://redstate.com/wardclark/2026/09/14/new-pentagon-admits-on-orbit-space-weapons-for-first-time-n2206913

    ?In what can only be described as something of a surprising development,
    the Secretary of the Air Force, Troy Meink, announced on Monday that the United States has already fielded on-orbit space defense weapons.?

    https://www.defenseone.com/defense-systems/2026/09/us-military-has-orbit-space-weapons-air-force-secretary-reveals/415964/

    ?Best guess as to the nature of the weapons described is that they are
    some form of electronic warfare devices, possibly jammers, with the
    slight chance of them being a directed-energy weapon, like a laser.?

    I am shocked, shocked I tell you.

    Lynn


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Charles Packer@3:633/10 to All on Tue Sep 15 07:35:09 2026
    On Tue, 15 Sep 2026 01:00:15 -0500, Lynn McGuire wrote:

    ?New: Pentagon Admits On-Orbit Space Weapons for First Time?

    https://redstate.com/wardclark/2026/09/14/new-pentagon-admits-on-orbit-
    space-weapons-for-first-time-n2206913

    ?In what can only be described as something of a surprising development,
    the Secretary of the Air Force, Troy Meink, announced on Monday that the United States has already fielded on-orbit space defense weapons.?

    https://www.defenseone.com/defense-systems/2026/09/us-military-has-
    orbit-space-weapons-air-force-secretary-reveals/415964/

    ?Best guess as to the nature of the weapons described is that they are
    some form of electronic warfare devices, possibly jammers, with the
    slight chance of them being a directed-energy weapon, like a laser.?

    I am shocked, shocked I tell you.

    Lynn


    I wouldn't be surprised if this was just setting the stage for further announcements of this type with respect to meteorology.

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Nuno Silva@3:633/10 to All on Tue Sep 15 10:11:41 2026
    On 2026-09-15, Charles Packer wrote:

    On Tue, 15 Sep 2026 01:00:15 -0500, Lynn McGuire wrote:

    ?New: Pentagon Admits On-Orbit Space Weapons for First Time?

    https://redstate.com/wardclark/2026/09/14/new-pentagon-admits-on-orbit-
    space-weapons-for-first-time-n2206913

    ?In what can only be described as something of a surprising development,
    the Secretary of the Air Force, Troy Meink, announced on Monday that the
    United States has already fielded on-orbit space defense weapons.?

    https://www.defenseone.com/defense-systems/2026/09/us-military-has-
    orbit-space-weapons-air-force-secretary-reveals/415964/

    ?Best guess as to the nature of the weapons described is that they are
    some form of electronic warfare devices, possibly jammers, with the
    slight chance of them being a directed-energy weapon, like a laser.?

    I am shocked, shocked I tell you.

    Lynn


    I wouldn't be surprised if this was just setting the stage for further announcements of this type with respect to meteorology.

    There's always that scene from Iron Sky where almost everybody has
    secretly armed their spaceships. (To the dismay of US President Sarah
    Palin[0], who clearly wanted to seize on something along the lines of
    "now the US will save all your asses", but is overshadowed by a lot of
    other non-US ships showing up for battle.)

    A sort of transcript based on what's on tvtropes [1]; the scene is on
    youtube at [2] (without proper subtitles):

    ®President Palin: "OK, who didn't arm their spaceships?!"

    [The Finnish ambassador slowly raises their hand, alone.]

    Palin: Oh, great... great, that's just... great... You all gave me
    your word!

    Ambassador: But you broke yours!

    Palin: We always break ours, that's just what we do! Okay, fine,
    fine fine fine fine fine! Let's just beat the shit out of these
    pricks and we'll talk about the details later.¯

    [0] Not named "Sarah Palin" in the movie, though.
    [1] <https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Funny/IronSky>
    [2] <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LR9N3NOutaQ>

    --
    Nuno Silva

    (Hey, at least this one is off-topic only in that it's about a film, not written SF!)

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Cryptoengineer@3:633/10 to All on Tue Sep 15 10:16:24 2026
    On 9/15/2026 2:00 AM, Lynn McGuire wrote:
    ?New: Pentagon Admits On-Orbit Space Weapons for First Time?

    https://redstate.com/wardclark/2026/09/14/new-pentagon-admits-on-orbit- space-weapons-for-first-time-n2206913

    ?In what can only be described as something of a surprising development,
    the Secretary of the Air Force, Troy Meink, announced on Monday that the United States has already fielded on-orbit space defense weapons.?

    https://www.defenseone.com/defense-systems/2026/09/us-military-has- orbit-space-weapons-air-force-secretary-reveals/415964/

    ?Best guess as to the nature of the weapons described is that they are
    some form of electronic warfare devices, possibly jammers, with the
    slight chance of them being a directed-energy weapon, like a laser.?

    I am shocked, shocked I tell you.

    Lynn


    That was not on my bingo card for this year, but I probably should
    have expected it. Its clear that both Russia and China are at least experimenting, and for both of them, its clear that some method of
    taking out GPS, Starlink, and Starshield is a high priority.

    pt

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Paul S Person@3:633/10 to All on Tue Sep 15 09:07:10 2026
    On Tue, 15 Sep 2026 10:11:41 +0100, Nuno Silva
    <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid> wrote:

    On 2026-09-15, Charles Packer wrote:

    On Tue, 15 Sep 2026 01:00:15 -0500, Lynn McGuire wrote:

    ?New: Pentagon Admits On-Orbit Space Weapons for First Time?


    https://redstate.com/wardclark/2026/09/14/new-pentagon-admits-on-orbit-
    space-weapons-for-first-time-n2206913

    ?In what can only be described as something of a surprising
    development,
    the Secretary of the Air Force, Troy Meink, announced on Monday that
    the
    United States has already fielded on-orbit space defense weapons.?

    https://www.defenseone.com/defense-systems/2026/09/us-military-has-
    orbit-space-weapons-air-force-secretary-reveals/415964/

    ?Best guess as to the nature of the weapons described is that they
    are
    some form of electronic warfare devices, possibly jammers, with the
    slight chance of them being a directed-energy weapon, like a laser.?

    I am shocked, shocked I tell you.

    Lynn


    I wouldn't be surprised if this was just setting the stage for further
    announcements of this type with respect to meteorology.

    There's always that scene from Iron Sky where almost everybody has
    secretly armed their spaceships. (To the dismay of US President Sarah >Palin[0], who clearly wanted to seize on something along the lines of
    "now the US will save all your asses", but is overshadowed by a lot of
    other non-US ships showing up for battle.)

    A sort of transcript based on what's on tvtropes [1]; the scene is on
    youtube at [2] (without proper subtitles):

    ?President Palin: "OK, who didn't arm their spaceships?!"

    [The Finnish ambassador slowly raises their hand, alone.]

    Palin: Oh, great... great, that's just... great... You all gave me
    your word!

    Ambassador: But you broke yours!

    Palin: We always break ours, that's just what we do! Okay, fine,
    fine fine fine fine fine! Let's just beat the shit out of these
    pricks and we'll talk about the details later.?

    [0] Not named "Sarah Palin" in the movie, though.

    But clearly her. And, for those who wonder what sort of President
    /she/ would have made, this film answers that question.

    It' been a while since I last saw it, but, IIRC, she almost makes
    Trump look ... sane.

    [1] <https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Funny/IronSky>
    [2] <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LR9N3NOutaQ>
    --
    "Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
    Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
    Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From s|b@3:633/10 to All on Tue Sep 15 21:28:35 2026
    On Tue, 15 Sep 2026 01:00:15 -0500, Lynn McGuire wrote:

    ?New: Pentagon Admits On-Orbit Space Weapons for First Time?

    The US lies about everything these days. I'm sure they're lying about
    this as well.

    --
    s|b

    Horum omnium fortissimi sunt Belgae.
    (Julius Caesar)

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From BobbieSellers@3:633/10 to All on Tue Sep 15 19:00:21 2026
    On 9/15/26 12:28, s|b wrote:
    On Tue, 15 Sep 2026 01:00:15 -0500, Lynn McGuire wrote:

    ?New: Pentagon Admits On-Orbit Space Weapons for First Time?

    The US lies about everything these days. I'm sure they're lying about
    this as well.


    I think s/b that the validity of the statement will depend on the definition of weapon used by the official referring to the matter.

    I think they might be signal jammers to shut off communications between unallied nations' communications satellites.

    But sure lies come forth not only from the mouth supreme but
    from all his lesser mouths.

    bliss

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Scott Dorsey@3:633/10 to All on Wed Sep 16 09:15:38 2026
    s|b <sb.nospam@belgacom.net> wrote:
    On Tue, 15 Sep 2026 01:00:15 -0500, Lynn McGuire wrote:

    ?New: Pentagon Admits On-Orbit Space Weapons for First Time?

    The US lies about everything these days. I'm sure they're lying about
    this as well.

    It would be a good move and it wouldn't be the first time anyone has claimed
    to have weapons that didn't actually exist. Sometimes that's a very good strategy when you are clearly outgunned.

    In this case, the US and China are both signatories to the Outer Space
    Treaty of 1966. This prohibits a number of different weapons in space
    but doesn't prohibit projectile weapons, for instance.

    It was originally written in part because Americans and Russians were
    worried about nuclear weapons in orbit which could be dropped down on
    the earth.

    It doesn't cover anti-satellite weapons at all, and the worst of the anti-satellite weapons are projectile types that break satellites up and
    leave big clouds of debris in space to cause additional damage. China and Russia have both been testing these things in the past decade or and a half.
    We officially stopped testing asat weapons during the Reagan administration
    but that's not to say that some folks aren't secretly carrying out tests
    today too.

    Kinetic weapons in orbit are bad, bad news, because they don't just hurt
    your enemy, they can come back to hurt your friends too. There have been
    some calls in the past for treaties to prohibit them, including the PAROS treaty, but they haven't got anywhere. Given the current US and Russian administrations I wouldn't expect them to get very far today until something goes wrong.
    --scott
    --
    "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Scott Dorsey@3:633/10 to All on Wed Sep 16 09:21:10 2026
    BobbieSellers <bliss-sf4ever@dslextreme.invalid> wrote:
    I think they might be signal jammers to shut off communications between >unallied nations' communications satellites.

    Those aren't weapons, those are countermeasures. We have plenty of those
    in orbit, as do the Russians, which is why there has been so much research
    on tight beam millimeter wave and laser space-to-space communications.

    The Chinese and Russians have tested kinetic weapons in space, which are
    actual weapons by UN definition.

    But sure lies come forth not only from the mouth supreme but
    from all his lesser mouths.

    To be quite honest, it is part of the job of the military to lie about capabilities. This becomes a problem in a democracy where you want the
    people to know but you don't want potential enemies to know. It is a hard problem and Jefferson and Madison disagreed about it.
    --scott
    --
    "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Paul S Person@3:633/10 to All on Wed Sep 16 09:15:04 2026
    On Wed, 16 Sep 2026 09:15:38 -0400 (EDT), kludge@panix.com (Scott
    Dorsey) wrote:

    s|b <sb.nospam@belgacom.net> wrote:
    On Tue, 15 Sep 2026 01:00:15 -0500, Lynn McGuire wrote:

    ?New: Pentagon Admits On-Orbit Space Weapons for First
    Time??

    The US lies about everything these days. I'm sure they're lying about
    this as well.

    It would be a good move and it wouldn't be the first time anyone has
    claimed
    to have weapons that didn't actually exist. Sometimes that's a very
    good
    strategy when you are clearly outgunned.

    In this case, the US and China are both signatories to the Outer Space
    Treaty of 1966. This prohibits a number of different weapons in space
    but doesn't prohibit projectile weapons, for instance.

    It was originally written in part because Americans and Russians were
    worried about nuclear weapons in orbit which could be dropped down on
    the earth.

    It doesn't cover anti-satellite weapons at all, and the worst of the >anti-satellite weapons are projectile types that break satellites up and >leave big clouds of debris in space to cause additional damage. China
    and
    Russia have both been testing these things in the past decade or and a
    half.
    We officially stopped testing asat weapons during the Reagan
    administration
    but that's not to say that some folks aren't secretly carrying out tests >today too.

    Kinetic weapons in orbit are bad, bad news, because they don't just hurt
    your enemy, they can come back to hurt your friends too. There have
    been
    some calls in the past for treaties to prohibit them, including the
    PAROS
    treaty, but they haven't got anywhere. Given the current US and Russian >administrations I wouldn't expect them to get very far today until
    something
    goes wrong.

    Optimist.

    I wouldn't expect them to get very far even if things go very, very
    wrong.

    --
    "Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
    Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
    Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Paul S Person@3:633/10 to All on Wed Sep 16 09:30:43 2026
    On Tue, 15 Sep 2026 19:00:21 -0700, BobbieSellers <bliss-sf4ever@dslextreme.invalid> wrote:

    On 9/15/26 12:28, s|b wrote:
    On Tue, 15 Sep 2026 01:00:15 -0500, Lynn McGuire wrote:

    ?New: Pentagon Admits On-Orbit Space Weapons for First Time?

    The US lies about everything these days. I'm sure they're lying about
    this as well.


    I think s/b that the validity of the statement will depend on the
    definition of weapon used by the official referring to the matter.

    I think they might be signal jammers to shut off communications between >unallied nations' communications satellites.

    But sure lies come forth not only from the mouth supreme but
    from all his lesser mouths.

    THis distrust of the government is very typical of those of us who
    were paying attention while growing up in the 50s and 60s. For many of
    us, the wall of absolute gummint knowing-what-it-is-doing developed a
    crack with the Kennedy assassination.

    But I knew several members of the Greatest generation (our parents,
    aunts, uncles, etc) who were such firm believers in the
    trustworthiness of the Federal Government that it took 3 political assassinations and Watgergate for some of them to admit that the
    gummint might not be /entirely/ trustworthy.
    --
    "Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
    Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
    Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Paul S Person@3:633/10 to All on Wed Sep 16 09:36:01 2026
    On Wed, 16 Sep 2026 09:21:10 -0400 (EDT), kludge@panix.com (Scott
    Dorsey) wrote:

    BobbieSellers <bliss-sf4ever@dslextreme.invalid> wrote:
    I think they might be signal jammers to shut off communications between >>unallied nations' communications satellites.

    Those aren't weapons, those are countermeasures. We have plenty of
    those
    in orbit, as do the Russians, which is why there has been so much
    research
    on tight beam millimeter wave and laser space-to-space communications.

    The Chinese and Russians have tested kinetic weapons in space, which are >actual weapons by UN definition.

    But sure lies come forth not only from the mouth supreme but
    from all his lesser mouths.

    To be quite honest, it is part of the job of the military to lie about >capabilities. This becomes a problem in a democracy where you want the >people to know but you don't want potential enemies to know. It is a
    hard
    problem and Jefferson and Madison disagreed about it.

    Keeping secrets secret is indeed part of the job of the military.

    But deliberately lying is not. Indeed, "no comment" is the preferred
    response to questions on such issues.

    OTOH, the possibility that this is a disinformation campaign aimed at
    Russia or China is a viable theory. Patton didn't participate in D-Day
    because he (and others assigned to him) was busy pretending to be an
    Allied unit that did not exist but which was perfectly placed to
    invade Europe where the Germans expected us to. IOW, D-Day worked, in
    part, because the enemy was lied to.
    --
    "Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
    Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
    Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From William Hyde@3:633/10 to All on Wed Sep 16 15:15:50 2026
    Paul S Person wrote:


    But I knew several members of the Greatest generation (our parents,
    aunts, uncles, etc) who were such firm believers in the
    trustworthiness of the Federal Government that it took 3 political assassinations and Watgergate for some of them to admit that the
    gummint might not be /entirely/ trustworthy.

    I am reminded of the conservative gentleman in California who, business
    suit and all, was caught up in a police riot in the late 60s.

    He said that before the riot he was 100% behind the police. After, 80%.

    William Hyde


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From s|b@3:633/10 to All on Thu Sep 17 17:36:36 2026
    On Tue, 15 Sep 2026 19:00:21 -0700, BobbieSellers wrote:

    On 9/15/26 12:28, s|b wrote:
    On Tue, 15 Sep 2026 01:00:15 -0500, Lynn McGuire wrote:

    ?New: Pentagon Admits On-Orbit Space Weapons for First Time?

    The US lies about everything these days. I'm sure they're lying about
    this as well.

    I think s/b that the validity of the statement will depend on the definition of weapon used by the official referring to the matter.

    I think they might be signal jammers to shut off communications between unallied nations' communications satellites.

    But sure lies come forth not only from the mouth supreme but
    from all his lesser mouths.

    bliss

    I'm thinking laser beams and nukes from space. We're in a scifi
    newsgroup, so let's dream BIG. (-:

    --
    s|b

    Horum omnium fortissimi sunt Belgae.
    (Julius Caesar)

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Cryptoengineer@3:633/10 to All on Thu Sep 17 13:41:26 2026
    On 9/16/2026 3:15 PM, William Hyde wrote:
    Paul S Person wrote:


    But I knew several members of the Greatest generation (our parents,
    aunts, uncles, etc) who were such firm believers in the
    trustworthiness of the Federal Government that it took 3 political
    assassinations and Watgergate for some of them to admit that the
    gummint might not be /entirely/ trustworthy.

    I am reminded of the conservative gentleman in California who, business
    suit and all, was caught up in a police riot in the late 60s.

    He said that before the riot he was 100% behind the police.ÿ After, 80%.

    William Hyde


    70s? aphorism:

    "A conservative is a liberal who's been mugged."
    "A liberal is a conservative who's been arrested."

    pt


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Scott Dorsey@3:633/10 to All on Thu Sep 17 13:42:31 2026
    Paul S Person <psperson@old.netcom.invalid> wrote:
    Keeping secrets secret is indeed part of the job of the military.

    But deliberately lying is not. Indeed, "no comment" is the preferred
    response to questions on such issues.

    The State Department, the military, and the spooks all have as part of
    their work descriptions some kind of disinformation.

    Unfortunately we are in a country where all three of those organizations
    are unable to work together and are providing disinformation to one another
    and to the general population, as well as to potential enemies.

    OTOH, the possibility that this is a disinformation campaign aimed at
    Russia or China is a viable theory. Patton didn't participate in D-Day >because he (and others assigned to him) was busy pretending to be an
    Allied unit that did not exist but which was perfectly placed to
    invade Europe where the Germans expected us to. IOW, D-Day worked, in
    part, because the enemy was lied to.

    It could well be disinformation aimed at Russia or China, or it could
    be secret information that our president has made public against the
    desires of the military (or the State Department or the spooks). Or
    it might just be completely random.

    It is a sad world when we are having to use the techniques of the kremlinologists to try to figure out what our own government is doing.
    --scott

    --
    "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Paul S Person@3:633/10 to All on Fri Sep 18 08:57:47 2026
    On Thu, 17 Sep 2026 13:42:31 -0400 (EDT), kludge@panix.com (Scott
    Dorsey) wrote:

    Paul S Person <psperson@old.netcom.invalid> wrote:
    Keeping secrets secret is indeed part of the job of the military.

    But deliberately lying is not. Indeed, "no comment" is the preferred >>response to questions on such issues.

    The State Department, the military, and the spooks all have as part of
    their work descriptions some kind of disinformation.

    Unfortunately we are in a country where all three of those organizations
    are unable to work together and are providing disinformation to one
    another
    and to the general population, as well as to potential enemies.

    OTOH, the possibility that this is a disinformation campaign aimed at >>Russia or China is a viable theory. Patton didn't participate in D-Day >>because he (and others assigned to him) was busy pretending to be an
    Allied unit that did not exist but which was perfectly placed to
    invade Europe where the Germans expected us to. IOW, D-Day worked, in
    part, because the enemy was lied to.

    It could well be disinformation aimed at Russia or China, or it could
    be secret information that our president has made public against the
    desires of the military (or the State Department or the spooks). Or
    it might just be completely random.

    It is a sad world when we are having to use the techniques of the >kremlinologists to try to figure out what our own government is doing.

    That's one of the consequences of being a failed state: nobody knows
    what you are doing, not even yourself.

    --
    "Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
    Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
    Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)