UNM community should question role in space war

Editor,

I attended the speech by professor Mohamed El-Genk of UNM’s Institute for Space and Nuclear Power last week, as promoted on the Daily Lobo’s front page.

I was greatly disappointed that UNM gave a prestigious award, several thousand dollars and time off to someone who is basically using our school to help the military wage war in space. Space is the next great frontier of exploration for humankind, and it should be kept for peace, not for exploitation and war.

Unfortunately, some corporations want to turn this new era of space into a market-driven war zone similar to earth.

The U.S. Space Command has issued a document called “Vision for 2020,” in which the Pentagon states that, because of U.S. corporate “globalization of the world economy,” there will be a widening gap between the “haves and the have-nots.”

Space “superiority,” the document says, “will emerge as an essential element of battlefield success.” Military control of space is essential to suppress challenges to U.S. corporate control around the planet. The future use of space for war was a key lesson of the Persian Gulf war.

Just after the Persian Gulf War, Dick Cheney, then the Secretary of Defense and now our “vice president,” issued a new policy statement for the Pentagon, which The New York Times reported, that the American mission of the military will be “... convincing potential competitors that they need not aspire to a greater role or pursue a more aggressive posture to protect their legitimate interests.”

This classified document, leaked to the public, is the policy background for actions such as the EP-3E spy flight that was recently intercepted and crashed in China. Before it was oil in the Persian Gulf, now China is being denied the right to protect their legitimate interests. These military and corporate interests are pushing for another war and weapons in space are necessary.

To achieve corporate globalization, the U.S. military and private corporations fund research at public institutions such as UNM to create space-based lasers and nuclear power supplies. They say the research is for the peaceful use of space, but all the documents and parts tell us the Star Wars program is being researched and developed right here. You can see for yourself by visiting www.chne.unm.edu/isnps.

Apparently, UNM has decided to attract as many contracts for the space arms race as possible. After all, it is very profitable. A couple weeks ago, UNM’s Electrical Computer Engineering Department was awarded a $5 million grant to produce better laser weapons for the military.

Professor Edl Schamiloglu, the grant’s recipient, said in the Daily Lobo, “the military would like to have a laser (weapon) that could be installed on planes, vehicles and ships.”

Everyone who wants to stop the new space-based global imperialism must question the unethical military activity being conducted at our public University.

The UNM community, staff, faculty and students should question if we want space war research conducted in our name.

Bob Anderson

Instructor, American Studies