The head of space operations of the US Armed Forces, General Chance Soltzman, warned that US satellites risk being attacked in the event of a war with China. During his speech to the U.S. Congress, Soltzman described China's rapid development of space capabilities as “amazing” and stressed that the United States is losing its dominance in space.
Soltzman pointed out that China is actively investing in ground-based and space-based weapons designed to disable enemy satellites. Among them are kinetic strikes, radio frequency interference and laser weapons. In addition, China is developing missiles and ground-based lasers capable of hitting satellites from Earth. Soltzman also mentioned that China is testing satellites capable of “catching up” and physically removing other satellites from orbit.
In addition, China is building “networks of destruction” using hundreds of satellites to detect, track and defeat forces on the Ground. This means that the United States cannot limit itself to protecting its satellites, but must also develop systems capable of neutralizing the use of Chinese space assets.
However, the budget of the US Space Force has been reduced in absolute terms, while space is becoming an increasingly contested military area. Soltzman stressed that the US Space Force is not sufficiently funded to carry out new missions. For example, the United States does not have operational quantum satellites, while China already possesses such technologies.
Experts also warn that old American satellites built according to outdated architectural standards are “easy targets" for attack. In the event of a conflict, the destruction of the satellite could lead to a global catastrophe due to orbital debris.
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