A RUSSIA GPS USING U.S. SOIL STIRS SPY FEARS, by Michael S. Schmidt and Eric Schmitt -
There has been much in the news lately about our spying on friend and foe alike. I thought the reactions from other countries and the media were a bit disingenuous. What did they think our spy agencies were doing if not spying?
So, while everyone was crying foul over our being caught spying, it seems that our State Department is actually considering a move that could assist Russia to spy on us by giving them access to U.S. soil.
After reading this article on Sunday, I found myself wondering whether our State Department had lost its collective mind. What do you think?
"In the view of America's spy services, the next potential threat from Russia...may come in the form of a seemingly innocuous dome-topped antenna perched atop an electronics-packed building surrounded by a security fence somewhere in the United States.
In recent months, the Central Intelligence Agency and the Pentagon have been quietly waging a campaign to stop the State Department from allowing Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, to build about half a dozen of these structures...on United States soil...
...They fear that these structures could help Russia spy on the United States and improve the precision of Russian weaponry...These monitor stations, the Russians contend, would significantly improve the accuracy and reliability of Moscow's version of the Global Positioning System...
...'They don't want to be reliant on the American system.'...said a former senior official in the State Department's Office of Space and Advanced Technology. 'They feel as though they are losing a technological edge to us in an important market.'"
How did their feeling that they're losing a technological edge become our problem to solve? We developed the technology that makes GPS possible and we have given them and the rest of the world, free access to the system that resulted. What is the point in going further? Can you imagine if private industry worked this way? "Hello, Competing Company. We just spent millions of dollars developing this Widget; but we don't want you to feel disadvantaged, so here are the complete blueprints and instructions for using them. Oh, and please feel free to come to our manufacturing facility and use our machinery to make your own. Enjoy!""The Russian effort is part of a larger global race by several countries--including China and European Union nations--to perfect their own global positioning systems and challenge the dominance of the American GPS."
Perfect all you want. Challenge the U.S. all you want...but do it with your own sweat equity. Why are we even considering giving away our dominance on this issue? It makes no sense."The C.I.A. and other American spy agencies, as well as the Pentagon, suspect that the monitor stations would give the Russians a foothold on American territory that would sharpen the accuracy of Moscow's satellite-steered weapons. The stations, they believe, could also give the Russians an opening to snoop on the United States within its borders."
Well, DUH! (Of course, then we could all go ballistic to find out that Russia's spy agency is--gasp!--spying!)"'I would like to understand why the United States would be interested in enabling a GPS competitor, like (Russia), when the world's reliance on GPS is a clear advantage to the United States on multiple levels,' said Representative Mike D. Rogers, Republican of Alabama, the chairman of a House Armed Services subcommittee."
Me too!"The monitor stations have been a high priority of Mr. Putin for several years as a means to improve (Russia's GPS system), not only to benefit the Russian military and civilian sectors but also to compete globally with GPS...
...The United States has stations around the world, but none in Russia."
Nobody is stopping Mr. Putin from competing; but competition doesn't mean giving away your advantage. There's fair and then there's stupid and allowing them access to U.S. soil while we have none on Russian soil is stupid."Although the Cold War is long over, the Russians do not want to rely on the American GPS infrastructure because they remain suspicious of the United States' military capabilities...
...Accepting the dominance of GPS, Russians fear, would give the United States some serious strategic advantages militarily. In Russians' worst fears, analysts said, Americans could potentially manipulate signals and send erroneous information to Russian armed forces."
So they are suspicious of our military capabilities and they fear we have strategic advantages. Isn't that kind of the point? What military genius would say "Oh, my, we have an advantage. Better let them know what it is so they can catch up.""C.I.A analysts reviewed (Russia's) proposal and concluded in a classified report this fall that allowing the Russian monitor stations here would raise counterintelligence and other security issues.
The State Department does not think that is a strong argument, said an administration official. 'It doesn't see them as a threat.'"
Good grief!
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