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WORLD NEWS TUESDAY 22 SEPTEMBER 2020
U.S. Space Force deploys to vast new frontier: Arabian Desert

By ISABEL DEBRE also reported "spoofed"
DUBAI, United Arab Emir- communications from
ates (AP) — The newly unknown entities falsely
formed U.S. Space Force is claiming to be U.S. or coali-
deploying troops to a vast tion warships, according to
new frontier: the Arabian American authorities.
Peninsula. "It's not that hard to do,
Space Force now has a but we've seen Iran and
squadron of 20 airmen sta- other countries become
tioned at Qatar's Al-Udeid pretty darn efficient at do-
Air Base in its first foreign ing it on a big scale," said
deployment. The force, Brian Weeden, an Air Force
pushed by President Don- veteran and director of
ald Trump, represents the program planning at the
sixth branch of the U.S. Secure World Foundation,
military and the first new which promotes peaceful
military service since the uses of outer space. "There's
creation of the Air Force in a concern Iran could inter-
1947. fere with military broad-
It has provoked skepticism band communications."
in Congress, satire on Net- Responding to ques-
flix, and, with its uncannily tions from the AP, Alireza
similar logo, "Star Trek" jokes Miryousefi, a spokesman at
about intergalactic battles. In this photo released by the U.S. Air Force, Col. Todd Benson, the U.S. Air Force Central Command Iran's mission to the United
Future wars may be waged director of space forces, center, leads airmen through their enlistment ceremony as they became Nations, said "Iran will not
in outer space, but the Ara- members of the Space Force at Al-Udeid Air Base, Qatar, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020. tolerate interference in our
bian Desert already saw Associated Press affairs, and in accordance
what military experts dub with international law, will
the world's first "space war" tion. military space program. American troops, he add- respond to any attacks
— the 1991 Desert Storm Concerns over the weap- The Trump administration ed, use GPS coordinates to against our sovereignty." He
operation to drive Iraqi onization of outer space has imposed sanctions on track ships passing through added that Iran has faced
forces from Kuwait. Today, are decades old. But as Iran's space agency, ac- strategic Gulf passage- numerous cyber attacks
the U.S. faces new threats space becomes increas- cusing it of developing bal- ways "to make sure they're from the U.S. and Israel.
in the region from Iran's mis- ingly contested, military ex- listic missiles under the cov- not running into internation- Failing an international
sile program and efforts to perts have cited the need er of a civilian program to al waters of other nations." agreement that bars con-
jam, hack and blind satel- for a space corps devoted set satellites into orbit. The Strait of Hormuz, the ventional arms, like ballis-
lites. to defending American in- World powers with more narrow mouth of the Per- tic missiles, from shooting
"We're starting to see other terests. advanced space pro- sian Gulf through which down space assets, the
nations that are extremely Threats from global com- grams, like Russia and 20% of the world's oil flows, domain will only become
aggressive in preparing to petitors have grown since China, have made more has been the scene of a more militarized, said Da-
extend conflict into space," the Persian Gulf War in threatening progress, U.S. series of tense encounters, ryl Kimball, the executive
Col. Todd Benson, director 1991, when the U.S. military officials contend. Last with Iran seizing boats it director of the Washing-
of Space Force troops at first relied on GPS coordi- month, Defense Secretary claims had entered its wa- ton-based Arms Control
Al-Udeid, told The Associ- nates to tell troops where Mark Esper warned that ters. One disrupted signal or Association. Russia and
ated Press. "We have to be they were in the desert as Russia and China were miscalculation could touch China have already cre-
able to compete and de- they pushed Iraqi dictator developing weapons that off a confrontation. ated space force units and
fend and protect all of our Saddam Hussein's forces could knock out U.S. satel- For years, Iran has allegedly the Revolutionary Guard's
national interests." out of Kuwait. lites, potentially scattering jammed satellite and radio sudden interest in satellite
In a swearing-in ceremony Benson declined to name dangerous debris across signals to block foreign- launches has heightened
earlier this month at Al- the "aggressive" nations his space and paralyzing cell based Farsi media outlets U.S. concerns.
Udeid, 20 Air Force troops, airmen will monitor and po- phones and weather fore- from broadcasting into the Still, American officials insist
flanked by American flags tentially combat. But the casts, as well as American Islamic Republic, where ra- the new Space Force de-
and massive satellites, en- decision to deploy Space drones, fighter jets, aircraft dio and television stations ployment aims to secure
tered Space Force. Soon Force personnel at Al-Ude- carriers and even nuclear are state-controlled. U.S. interests, not set off an
several more will join the id follows months of esca- weapon controllers. The U.S. Federal Aviation extraterrestrial arms race.
unit of "core space opera- lating tensions between "The military is very reliant Administration has warned "The U.S. military would like
tors" who will run satellites, the U.S. and Iran. on satellite communica- that commercial aircraft to see a peaceful space,"
track enemy maneuvers Hostilities between the tions, navigation and glob- cruising over the Persian Benson, the director of
and try to avert conflicts in two countries, ignited by al missile warning," said Gulf could experience in- Space Force troops sta-
space. Trump's unilateral with- Capt. Ryan Vickers, a new- terference and communi- tioned in Qatar, said. "Oth-
"The missions are not new drawal of the U.S. from Iran's ly inducted Space Force cations jamming from Iran. er folks' behavior is kind of
and the people are not nuclear accord, came to a member at Al-Udeid. Ships in the region have driving us to this point."q
necessarily new," Benson head in January when U.S.
said. forces killed a top Iranian
That troubles some Ameri- general. Iran responded by
can lawmakers who view launching ballistic missiles
the branch, with its project- at American soldiers in Iraq.
ed force of 16,000 troops This spring, Iran's paramili-
and 2021 budget of $15.4 tary Revolutionary Guard
billion, as a vanity project launched its first satellite
for Trump ahead of the No- into space, revealing what
vember presidential elec- experts describe as a secret