US General on Space Race: China, Russia ‘Have Gone to School On Us’

Spaceplanes are loaded with weapons and satellites that capture “space architecture,” Direct-energy lasers and electromagnetic shockwaves are designed to immediately blind global communications. Missile-test debris fields threaten the congested orbital paths that cinch the planet.

These are not highlights from an upcoming Sci-Fi Channel TV series but could be part of a History Channel documentary since all of the above has already happened in all of the above—that is, from the blue sky all the way above into the black of Earth’s near-space.

While space may be the ultimate frontier, it is the first theater of warfare. Russia’s cyber-blinding in Ukraine and other European countries’ GPS satellite networks, before its February 2022 invasion, demonstrated this.

Within the United States military, there are two entities primarily engaged in defending the nation’s interests in space—which include 8,225 satellites in low-Earth orbit and nearly 1,000 in geosynchronous orbit (GEO)—in a shared “area of responsibility” It begins at 62 miles above the surface of the planet.

The nation’s space-keepers are the 18,000-member United States Space Command (a unified all service command under the Department of Defense) and the 8,600 member United States Space Force (the eighth U.S. military branch created in December 2019).

Space Command and Space Force have the responsibility of ensuring global satellite communications security. “space domain awareness,” Both offensive and defensive “space control effects,” and digital positioning, navigation and timing (PNT), services that are crucial for military command and control operations in outer and terrestrial space.

The U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee has been meeting since early March with Space Command and Space Force commanders—as it will with many military officials through June to ferret through the DOD’s $886.3 billion Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) budget request—to discuss threats in space and what they need to combat them.

The newly activated U.S. Space Forces Korea members stand in formation during their activation ceremony at Osan Air Base (Republic of Korea), Dec. 14, 2022. (Courtesy staff sergeant. Skyler Combs via U.S. Space Forces Korea)

China’s Spaceplanes

Space Command Gen. James Dickinson presented testimony to the committee on March 6 regarding, among others, the Pentagon’s request for $33.3 million to develop “resilient space architecture” Improve its space command and control capabilities.

Space Force Chief of Space Operations General Gen. B. testified before the committee on March 14. Chance Saltzman, Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. B., testified before Congress about the $30 billion FY24 budget request. This is a $5.5B increase over what Congress approved this fiscal year.

Saltzman stated that such investments are necessary because the U.S. “relies heavily on assurance that its space capabilities will be there” It is susceptible to bad actors in a military encounter, because it has the reliance and training to make it more effective.

“The Chinese and the Russians have gone to school on us,” He stated. “They’re prepared to put us behind the eight ball” Instantly in any military confrontation

Both countries have large investments. “counter-space capabilities” These include a range weapons that they have tested and in some cases deployed, which could expose global communications assets to danger, he stated.

Dickson presented several important points to the panel during his appearance before them. “counter-space” Weapons development by the Chinese and Russians

The People’s Republic of China has created armed spaceships capable of gliding in low-Earth orbits and knocking out satellites. In 2021, it also performed a first. “fractional orbital launch” A ballistic missile could be carried in a hypersonic glider that can launch weapons quickly from space to the ground.

Long March 5B rocket lifts from China’s southern Hainan islands launch site at Wenchang on May 5, 2020. Another Long March rocket variant was used to lift China’s hypersonic weapon into orbit in July. (STR/AFP via Getty Images).

Russia Destroys Satellites

In November 2021 Russia conducted an anti-satellite missile (ASAT) test. “foreshadows the future of warfare” Saltzman confirmed the space it has invested heavily in during his appearance before senators.

Russia displayed its operational comfort in space when it invaded Ukraine. It was not blinding, but clear. “enemy” Communication systems, but in threatening them to do so globally “retaliation” Ukraine taps into commercial satellites to counter this.

Saltzman stated that Russia’s electronic warfare and directed energy weapon advances are designed to destroy an enemy in space, as the first salvo in any conflict.

“Space is a force modifier and they want to attack it” Cyber-attacks on ground stations will be the first to do this. “the ground also part of space,” He stated.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) said, “They say war with China will begin in space,” I asked Saltzman whether he agreed with the following. “they say.”

He said he does because space war is already being waged, making Space Force’s initial mission the most important. “avoidance of operational surprise” By a bad actor.

A common defense built upon an alliance of defenses will provide the best defense in space. “like-minded nations” Saltzman stated that space-based commercial development is possible because people want to coexist peacefully in space.

The United States leads a global effort “to establish norms of responsible behavior” to guide how nations conduct business in space, he said, noting the DOD has published a proposed ‘Tenets of Space Behavior’ and the United States has signed onto the seven-nation Coalition Space Operations Initiative that recognizes “we have to behave a certain way if we want a safe, sustainable space domain.”

China, Russia—and increasingly North Korea and Iran— “aren’t interested in this” effort, Saltzman said. “Unfortunately, the norms they are talking about are not the ones we support, and they don’t like the norms we support.”

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