From: Adam 

Humm.....

Ever since the US put out it's provocative statement/space policy there
have bene those wondering how BRIC would respond (Brazil, Russia, India
China).

We've seen the Chinese response & now for the Indians:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/6307875.stm

"India says it is to build an aerospace defence command aimed at
preventing possible attacks from space.

The head of India's air force outlined the plans saying it would protect
both Indian territory and assets.

Air Chief Marshal Shashi Tyagi said India was an aerospace power with
"trans-oceanic reach" and it was vital it should be able to
exploit space.

It comes two weeks after China carried out a test in which it used a
missile to destroy an old satellite in orbit.

Military command

In the wake of China's test, in which a ground-based medium-range ballistic
missile was used to destroy a weather satellite, Indian Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh called for a "weapons free outer space".

The demand was backed by Russian President Vladimir Putin during a recent
visit to India.

  "The fundamental position of the Russian Federation is that outer
space should be absolutely weapons free," Mr Putin told a joint press
conference with Mr Singh in Delhi.

Military analysts say the Indian project would probably replicate the North
American Aerospace Defence Command (Norad) set up by the United States and
Canada, which detects and tracks man-made objects in space.

"As the reach of our air force is expanding it has become extremely
important that we exploit space and for it you need space assets," Air
Chief Marshal Tyagi said.

"We are an aerospace power having trans-oceanic reach and we have
started training a core group of people for the aerospace command," he
added.

He said civilian expertise would be used to be build the planned aerospace
command, but that it would be under military command. "

The BRIC countries have been holding to the same position for a while now
wrt no militarization of space. The US has been refusing to even
countenance such a treaty.

Pressure or intent? Are we going to see a Russian announcement next?

Adam

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