February 21, 2008                                                                                         www.tauscher.house.gov

Rep. Ellen Tauscher Applauds Successful Shoot-Down of Non-Functioning U.S. Satellite

“We enjoy the benefits of space technology and as a consequence we bear the responsibility when something goes wrong with one of our systems”

Washington, DC – Rep. Ellen Tauscher, Chairman of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee, released the following statement regarding last night’s successful shoot-down of non-functioning U.S. satellite

“This is good news; we acted quickly, we acted intelligently and we acted responsibly.  By reaching out to the international community, we set an example for how all space-faring countries should deal with potential hazards like these. We enjoy the benefits of space technology and as a consequence we bear the responsibility when something goes wrong with one of our systems.”

“I would caution against using this public safety exercise as a validation of our entire missile defense program.  This was an isolated incident that indicates our ability to handle a very specific situation with relative ease.  Today’s events do not change the fact that we need to improve our space situational awareness capabilities and invest in fully tested missile defense systems that can defend against rapidly evolving and even unknown threats.”

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