From Gordon Drennan
What can you do with a space bomber that you can’t already do with a
conventional bomber or a missile
(4 August, p 10)? That’s easy. It gives you
unprecedented scope for “plausible denial” in the sort of self-appointed,
policeman-of-the-world-type wars the US loves fighting against countries too
small to hit back.
The US got away with the excuse that it was dropping bombs from 5 kilometres
and firing missiles from over the horizon when it dropped a bunker-buster on a
civilian air raid shelter in Iraq, fired two missiles at a civilian train in
Yugoslavia and blew the Chinese embassy in Belgrade to bits.
Imagine what sort of accidentally-on-purpose “mistakes” the US could get away
with when the bombs are being dropped from 100 kilometres up, and the targets
are based solely on what is laughingly called “military intelligence”.
Ultimo, New South Wales
