Weapons systems head for space

Space systems are some of the most powerful weapons in warfare, Air Force Gen. Lance Lord said Nov. 1 at the Military Communications Conference 2004.

Success in future wars will depend on space systems, said the commander of the Air Force Space Command at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. The importance of space systems has evolved over the 50 years following initial efforts to monitor the Soviet Union during the Cold War, Lord said at the conference.

Space systems dominance has given the U.S. military what Lord called an asymmetrical advantage. For the Iraq operations, the military exploited space-based warning, weather and military satellite communications, he said.