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Gen. Stephen Whiting, leader of the US Space Command, has raised alarms over the escalating security challenges in space, particularly highlighting China’s rapid advancements in military space capabilities.
In his address to the Senate Armed Services Committee, Whiting stated, “Space is now central to all-domain security activities,” highlighting the critical importance of space in contemporary global security and defense strategies. He emphasized the US’s need to advance its space capabilities and capacity to “retain an enduring competitive advantage.”
Detailing the threats, Whiting pointed out, “China is growing its military space and counterspace capabilities at breathtaking pace,” with the aim to “deny American and Allied space capabilities when they so choose.” He also said that the extensive nature of China’s military ambitions, which include becoming a “major world power and world military power,” with significant advancements expected by 2030 in almost all space technology areas. Whiting also warned that there was a significant increase in China’s orbital assets, noting that the country has “more than tripled its orbital presence since 2018, deploying more than 359 systems in its satellite fleet.”
Other warnings:
Whiting shed light on the counterspace weapons programs developed by China, designed to impair US space systems, including “space-based antisatellite weapons.” He also expressed concerns about Russia’s counterspace capabilities, mentioning that Russia “continues to pursue a suite of counterspace weaponry,” which includes “directed energy weapons and satellite communications jammers.” These developments, according to Whiting, are part of a broader strategy by adversaries like Russia, which “views its counterspace capabilities as a means to deter aggression from adversaries reliant on space.”
