Five Eyes get sensitive space intel
The US has begun sharing its 'most sensitive' military intelligence on China's and Russia's space operations with the UK and other members of The Five Eyes (FVEY) global intelligence group, The Times has reported, citing a senior commander within the US Space Force.
Until this month, the work of Space Delta 9, a unit focused on America's orbital warfare, was largely meant only for US officials with top-secret security clearance.
However, in a move that a Space Delta 9 spokesman described to The Times as 'momentous,' British military chiefs have been allowed to observe operations at the unit's base in Colorado.
The other Five Eyes members, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, have also been allowed access to the highest levels of US space intelligence, the British daily reported on Wednesday.
The Times attributed the development to Beijing and Moscow allegedly developing 'new space capabilities,' such as dual use satellites, and orbiters designed for both civilian and military applications.
'We have to be ready for that fight that nobody wants to have,' Colonel Ramsey Horn, commander of Space Delta 9, told the paper. He went on to claim that the unit is 'more ready' than ever to engage in combat in space.
The US Defense Department has accused China of stockpiling anti-satellite weapons, raising concerns over what it describes as Beijing's increasing emphasis on space warfare. Chinese officials have rejected the claims and argued that militarization of space by the US poses the real threat to global stability.
Washington has made similar allegations against Russia, suggesting that Moscow may possess covert anti-satellite systems, potentially with nuclear capabilities. The Kremlin has dismissed the claims as baseless attempts to deflect attention from America's own military ambitions in space.
Both Russia and China have consistently stated their opposition to the weaponization of space and have advocated for keeping space a domain reserved for peaceful use.
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