China is a near-peer competitor, challenging the United States in multiple arenas—especially militarily and technologically and is pushing to change global norms. For example, US intelligence has recently warned that China is building destructive space weapons that will blind U.S. satellites.
In a webinar for an intelligence-security trade group, Rear Admiral Michael Studeman said that China is creating weapons with capabilities that range from “dazzling to jamming, to kinetic kill-from-the-ground, from space — all that, they’re on the march.”
“They take a look at our space capability and want to equal and exceed those and be able to dominate to guarantee themselves the manoeuvring they need to be able to secure their objectives if they’re in a fight,” Studeman said.
It is the latest warning from US military personnel regarding China’s increasing weaponization of space.
A report issued by the US Director of National Intelligence in April stated that the Tiangong space station stood as a low-orbit security warning for the US, saying the station is aimed to “gain the military, economic, and prestige benefits that Washington has accrued from space leadership.”
“[The People’s Liberation Army] will continue to integrate space services such as satellite reconnaissance and positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) and satellite communications into its weapons and command-and-control systems to erode the US military’s information advantage,” the report stated.
The report further comprehended how China was preparing to develop craft to disrupt, seize, or destroy the US satellites saying, “China has already fielded ground-based ASAT missiles intended to destroy satellites in LEO and ground-based ASAT lasers probably intended to blind or damage sensitive space-based optical sensors on LEO satellites.”
According to Bloomberg, the US military is seeking to develop counter space tech to deal with the opposing forces. For instance, Meadowlands, a counter space weapon, is created to jam belligerent satellites temporarily.
Under Trump presidency, the US Space Force service branch of the armed forces was established, which is now developing an arsenal of ground-based weapons to fight satellites.
“It will be a game of measures and countermeasures and counter-countermeasures for some time to come,” Studeman said.
