Russia and China are quickly constructing orbital capabilities, the Area Command head has mentioned
The potential of a battle in area is not simply theoretical, Basic Stephen Whiting, head of the US Area Command, mentioned on Tuesday.
Talking on the thirty ninth Area Symposium on the command’s headquarters in Colorado Springs, Whiting painted an alarming image of Russian and Chinese language orbital capabilities.
China has constructed a “kill net over the Pacific Ocean to search out, repair, monitor and, sure, goal US and allied navy capabilities,” Whiting mentioned, describing Beijing’s efforts as shifting at “breathtaking velocity.”
Since 2018, Russia has doubled and China has tripled the variety of their intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) satellites in orbit, whereas additionally testing and fielding anti-satellite weapons. In the meantime, the US has “the world’s greatest area architectures,” however its navy constellations are “optimized for a benign atmosphere,” he mentioned.
Russian and Chinese language area weapons “maintain in danger our fashionable lifestyle and the way we defend this nation, and we should be capable of deter and counter these threats when known as upon to realize area superiority,” the overall mentioned.
Whiting described a doable armed battle in area as “economically and environmentally devastating, maybe for many years,” and mentioned the US needs to maintain issues within the state of “enduring competitors” as a substitute.
The US is already working with Canada, Australia and the UK on Operation Olympic Defender, a program meant to “optimize area operations,” in response to the Area Command. Whiting introduced that Germany, France and New Zealand have been invited to affix as nicely.
He additionally revealed that the command’s new Functionality Evaluation and Validation Setting (CAVE) has achieved “minimal viable functionality.” The modeling and simulation laboratory will allow the US navy to “derive higher methods of deterring and planning to conduct operations for a conflict that’s by no means occurred, and a conflict we don’t wish to occur,” he mentioned.
Washington lately accused Moscow of getting undisclosed anti-satellite capabilities, probably nuclear in nature. Russian President Vladimir Putin mentioned the US claims have been “unfounded” and a ploy to control arms management talks. The Russian embassy in Washington has additionally accused the US of utilizing “Russophobic slogans” to masks its personal plans to militarize area.
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