A Shot in the Light

The Wall Street Journal does an excellent job contrasting our successful shoot-down of that dead spy satellite, and last year’s Chinese ASAT test. By any standard, our public announcements on the planned intercept--and concurrent diplomatic efforts aimed at reassuring the world community--were models of disclosure and openness.

Quite a contrast to Beijing's anti-satellite test of January 2007, which was conducted in secrecy, with little regard for the political or military consequences. As the Journal observes, there is some reason to believe that senior Chinese leaders were unaware of their nation's test until it was actually conducted. By comparison, our decision to intercept the defunct spy satellite was made by civilian leaders, at the highest levels of our government.