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America is facing real threats in space, and it’s no longer the stuff of science fiction. Preparation for space combat is taking place. China has openly declared its intention to weaponize orbiting satellites, and Russia has made threatening moves against US satellites.
What makes conflict in space so dangerous is that US forces winning a global ground conflict depends on communications, global positioning, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance satellites. Chinese and Russian forces likely see these as targets. An adversary’s objective would be to degrade the U.S. ability to position forces accurately, communicate among combat units, and see what the enemy is doing
Space as a Combat Arena
Military use of space is growing. “Increasingly, however, militaries view them [satellites] as active weapons platforms capable of launching attacks by disrupting a satellite’s operations through jamming or laser dazzling, or even capturing enemy spacecraft,” Reuters reported.
While the public face of the US space program is manned spaceflight, potential enemies of America focus on space’s military value. The latest Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) assessment of space operations, “Challenges to Security in Space: Congestion, Competition, and Cooperation,” published in late October, opens with a warning. “China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are developing, testing, deploying, and using space capabilities in a way that threatens the security of all space systems and their associated space benefits,” the DIA report cautioned.
China has launched a campaign to become a “fully capable space power.” As the DIA assessment observed, “Beijing aims to become the preeminent leader in space, to shape international norms to be more supportive of China’s positions on space issues, and exploit other nations’ perceived reliance on space-based systems to deter and counter China’s military operations.” Echoing this point of view, Reuters reported that US Space Force chief of space operations Gen. Chance Saltzman, who has since retired, explained in July that China was “rapidly developing capabilities” that include ground-based and space-based weapons. He called the threat “substantial.”
China’s New Laser and Directed Energy Weapons
The DIA report says China has numerous ground-based laser weapons that can degrade or damage low Earth orbit satellites, and that “by the late 2020s, China may field space-based directed energy systems and higher-powered ground-based directed energy systems capable of threatening satellites in higher orbits.”
Russia, on the other hand, has engaged in more immediate and threatening space operations using weaponized satellites. According to The New York Times,“[A] mysterious Russian satellite moved threateningly close [reports vary, ranging from a few hundred meters to less than 100 feet] to a U.S. commercial radar satellite that provides imagery to the Ukrainian military.” After the Russian satellite maneuver became public, the Russian craft backed away. As The Times explained, analysts observing the Russian satellite moving were speculating, “What was the Russian satellite doing at such close proximity? Was Russia planning to attack the U.S. satellite but reversed course?”
American Weapons in Orbit
In response to adversaries’ overt use of space to further military objectives, the US has, for the first time, revealed that it too has weapons in space. Fox News reported that, “Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said Monday [September 14] that the Space Force now has ‘on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the joint force against hostile adversary action,’ but declined to say what the weapons are, how they work or when they were deployed.”
With the US leading in space operations and technology development, it’s no surprise it would also lead in positioning satellites that can defend American forces. As Fox News explained, Meink’s “carefully worded disclosure marks a shift in how openly the US military talks about weapons in orbit as China and Russia develop their own capabilities to disrupt, disable or destroy satellites.” It appears, the Air Force secretary was sending a message to China and Russia that America’s lead in space includes defense capability.
Though other adversaries like North Korea are tangible threats, Russia and China are advanced enough to carry a global war into space. For the US, trying to negotiate a halt to space militarization would have little chance of success. Both Russia and China have space warfare as part of their strategic planning. What choice does that leave America but to get there first?
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The views expressed are those of the author and not of any other affiliate.
4 Questions
The story, in brief
Why would a space war threaten U.S. forces on Earth?
U.S. forces depend on satellites for communications, global positioning, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. An enemy would try to degrade America's ability to position forces accurately, communicate among combat units, and see what opposing forces are doing. That is why conflict in space could affect ground combat around the world.
What space threats does the DIA say China is developing?
The DIA says China has numerous ground-based laser weapons that can degrade or damage low Earth orbit satellites. It also says that by the late 2020s, China may field space-based directed energy systems and more powerful ground-based directed energy systems capable of threatening satellites in higher orbits. U.S. officials have described China's growing capabilities as substantial.
How has Russia threatened U.S. satellites in orbit?
According to The New York Times, a Russian satellite moved threateningly close to a U.S. commercial radar satellite that provides imagery to the Ukrainian military. Reports on the distance varied, but the move raised questions about whether Russia was preparing an attack. After the maneuver became public, the Russian craft backed away.
How is the United States responding to China and Russia in space?
The United States has publicly revealed for the first time that it has weapons in space. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said the Space Force now has on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the joint force against hostile adversary action, though he did not disclose details. The disclosure signaled that America's space lead includes defensive capability.
Dave Patterson
National Security Correspondent at LibertyNation.Com and Generation Liberty, Dave is a retired U.S. Air Force Pilot with over 180 combat missions in Vietnam. He is the former Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense, Comptroller and has served in executive positions in the private sector aerospace and defense industry. Dave’s articles have appeared in The Federalist and DefenseOne.com.
