Word: orbital
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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After Argentina invaded the Falklands last April, Kirkpatrick cautioned that the U.S. should remain neutral lest Washington force Buenos Aires into the orbit of the Soviet Union. When the Administration eventually accepted Haig's argument and took Britain's side, Kirkpatrick spoke against providing London with military intelligence and equipment. Alexander Haig...
...considerably less sanguine in its assessment of the situation. It realizes that an independent Iran, even an Islamic republic run by Khomeini, is the most reliable buffer between the Soviet Union and the Persian Gulf. Washington therefore will do nothing to push Iran into the Soviet orbit. On the other hand, the U.S. strongly favors the survival of Saddam Hussein, who in his quest for Western support has steadily moderated his anti-Israeli and anti-American radicalism. The U.S. probably welcomed Saddam Hussein's thrust into Iran in September 1980, believing it would increase the pressure on Khomeini...
Last February the Reagan Administration proposed a three-pronged effort to bolster the Caribbean economies and prevent them from being drawn into the Communist orbit. The plan would allow most exports from the region to enter the U.S. duty-free, give a tax credit to encourage American companies to invest in the Caribbean, and grant an additional $350 million in direct economic assistance this year...
Intelligence analysts do not believe that all the new Soviet satellites are still in orbit. While their U.S. counter parts have longer life spans, most Soviet spycraft cannot sustain their low or bits for more than two weeks. As a result, the Soviets tend to launch more satellites more frequently than the U.S. When political crises arise, Moscow increases its output of satellites. During the 1973 Middle East war, the Soviets launched them at the rate of about...
...designs its satellites to stay in orbit for months or even years, and to perform a greater variety of functions. The U.S. currently has at least two photographic systems orbiting over the South Atlantic, the twelve-ton Big Bird and the newer KH-11. The systems are more sophisticated than the Soviet satellites. Big Bird can swoop from as high as 170 miles (for wide-angle views) to as low as 100 miles (for close-up shots). The KH-11 records images in digital form, rather than on film, and can beam pictures to ground stations around the globe...