Washington intends to develop its means to disable different states’ satellites through ground-based jammers
Washington is near boosting its offensive counterspace functionality with new ground-based jammers designed to quickly disable satellites deployed by Moscow and Beijing, Bloomberg wrote on Friday, citing sources within the US House Pressure (USSF).
Having already examined the brand new methods earlier this yr, the US will deploy 11 of 24 Distant Modular Terminal jammers within the coming months, the USSF instructed the newspaper. All are anticipated to be in place by the top of the yr. The jammers aren’t meant to guard US satellites from jamming; somewhat, they goal to “counter adversary satellite tv for pc communications capabilities,” the USSF has mentioned.
The House Pressure had beforehand described the terminals as “small, transportable, and low-cost satellite tv for pc communications jammers,” designed “utilizing business off-the-shelf elements.”
The jammers will increase different digital warfare methods such because the already deployed and far bigger Counter Communications System and the medium-sized Meadowlands system by providing a extra “proliferated, remotely managed, and comparatively relocatable functionality,” in line with the USSF. They famous the Meadowlands system has encountered growth points, delaying its rollout till a minimum of October, two years later than deliberate.
These methods is not going to be “defensive weapons” however are supposed to “assault rival capabilities,” mentioned Victoria Samson, chief director of area safety and stability on the Safe World Basis. She categorized it as an “offensive counterspace functionality,” claiming that the system can be “reversible, short-term, non-escalatory, and permit for believable deniability when it comes to who the instigator is.”
Bloomberg contrasted the apparently offensive nature of those jamming methods with the Pentagon’s traditional stance of positioning its “rising satellite-jamming know-how as purely defensive.” They juxtaposed this in opposition to the alleged high-altitude electromagnetic pulse weapons the US has accused Russia of creating.
Moscow and different member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Group are staunchly in opposition to the weaponization of area, Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated to journalists earlier this month. Russia firmly stands in opposition to the deployment of any sort of weapons in area, he confused.
You possibly can share this story on social media:
Supply hyperlink
