In contrast to NASA's reluctance to step outside manned and robotic exploration, DOD has long had voices calling it to take leadership in Planetary Defense:
Most recently:
http://www.aero.org/conferences/planetarydefense/documents/Potential-DoD-Roles--Garretson.pdf
From as far back as Feb 2000:
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/solarsystem/neo_defense_000207.html
A high-ranking U.S. Military official -- speaking in a non-official capacity -- says the hunt for potentially Earth-threatening space rocks should be more centralized, and the Department of Defense could be a primary force behind this project.
Pete Worden, deputy director for Command and Control at the U.S. Air Force Headquarters in the Pentagon, suggested an array of micro-satellites should be used to find and study Near Earth Objects -- asteroids and comets known as NEOs -- in an effort to save money and speed up the search process.
And even before that in:
France Article (Contains specific Legislative proposals):
http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/cc/france2.html
Nici/Kaupa Article:
http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/apj/apj97/sum97/nici.html
SpaceCast2020:
http://csat.au.af.mil/2020/papers/app-r.pdf
AF2025:
http://csat.au.af.mil/2025/volume3/vol3ch16.pdf
Other links of interest:
Report to congress:
http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/171331main_NEO_report_march07.pdf
AOA behind the Report as posted by NASA:
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/FOIA/NEO_Analysis_Doc.pdf
AOA behind the report as posted by B612 Foundation
http://www.b612foundation.org/papers/NASA-finalrpt.pdf
Know what to do, don't have the Money:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/science/20070305-1432-killerasteroids.html AIAA Position Paper:
http://www.planetarydefense.info/resources/pdf/Asteroids-Final.pdf
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