...to blame political and governmental officials for allowing the United States to fall behind a competitor. This kind of blame constituted, in effect, strong support for the space program--at least in a period when the public connected space issues to the Cold War. Becoming second resulted in public questioning of U.S. military competence. Does military activity in space deter international cooperation? As stated (12) in a U.S. House of Representatives report: The Defense Department has suggested guidelines for the export of U.S. technology under which maintenance of U.S. technological superiority by absolute control of design and manufacturing knowhow is considered by DOD to be essential. All other considerations, including international goodwill, are secondary under these guidelines, according to DOD. (12) The report raises the following important questions: Because of the military potential of space technology, should sharing of space technology come under these guidelines? Would maintenance of U.S. technological leadership in space under these guidelines be compatible with U.S. stated policy regarding international cooperation in space? If maintenance of U.S. technological leadership in space can only be achieved at the expense of international cooperation, which goal shall prevail? Military Use of the Space Shuttle (13) Lt. General Thomas W. Morgan, Commander of the Space and Missile Systems Organizations, AFSC, has stated that the Space Shuttle ...will open a new chapter of our national space program. It may well make economically feasible for the first time whole new missions in space - in addition to opening the door to better or cheaper ways of performing traditional missions. I see the 1980’s - the time in which the STS (Space Transportation System) becomes a proved quantity - as a time of major reappraisal of the role of space in the Air Force Future. Military/civilian space dependence on one vehicle, the Shuttle, has developed a number of interesting policy problems. According to the Council of Economic Priorities (CEP)/^ because the DOD will be entirely dependent upon NASA’s transportation system for space launches, and because NASA is a small agency in budget and laborpower relative to the DOD, there is danger that in the future, NASA programs will be oriented toward military, rather than civilian and scientific uses. The CEP feels that NASA could be pressured to restructure the U.S. space program to fit DOD needs.
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