It shouldn't come as a surprise that China's anti-satellite test earlier this year would create some waves in the U.S. intelligence bureaucracy, but this tidbit from Bill Gertz's E-Ring column at the Washington Times points to an all-out turf battle. It claims that the Defense Intelligence Agency is trying to usurp power from the the Air Force's National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC), which first identified the Chinese activity.
The Air Force center, located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, was the key center in identifying China's secret anti-satellite weapons program and monitoring the provocative Jan. 11 test by China of an anti-satellite weapon.
The officials say NASIC's space-threat analysis work is in danger as a result of a Defense Intelligence Agency reorganization plan that seeks to take the space-threat missions from NASIC, which is under the Air Combat Command, and give it to DIA-run components, including the Missile and Space Intelligence Center in Huntsville, Ala., the Army National Ground Intelligence Center in Charlottesville and the Office of Naval Intelligence.
"These actions by DIA are clearly not based on the outstanding performance of NASIC in this area over the last 10 plus years, but rather demonstrate DIA's gross mismanagement of defense intelligence by putting political interests ahead of providing the best intelligence for the nation," said one official opposed to the move.
Critics say the reason for the move is that DIA was "asleep at the switch" on the Chinese anti-satellite program.
About a month ago, the New York Times reported that intelligence officials knew China's satellite-killer was a bout to launch... and didn't lift a finger to stop it.
