US space chief warns of emerging threats from China and Russia
Surging technologies spearheaded by Chinese and Russian forces represent the greatest threat in space defense, Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman said Thursday at the POLITICO Security Summit.
'The PRC has developed what we've kind of, you know, tongue in cheek, called a 'kill web,' and it's nothing more than a series of hundreds of satellites that are a sensor network that provide real-time updates, targeting quality information of our force,' Saltzman said, warning that the strategy represents the biggest threat in U.S. adversaries' growing space capabilities.
Saltzman emphasized the need to bolster U.S. capacity to disrupt the satellite network, saying it most acutely affects the Indo Pacific region.
But China's kill web isn't the only area of concern for the space chief. Saltzman also noted Beijing's 'accelerated ability to put capacity on orbit,' adding that Russia, another major U.S. adversary, is similarly demonstrating strength in that arena.
Russia, which is partnering with China to launch a joint lunar exploration project dubbed the International Lunar Research Station, also poses major threats to U.S. space defense, Saltzman said.
'The Russians are demonstrating reckless aggressive behaviors with regards to how they intend to contest the space domain that will have far-reaching impacts beyond any localized military effect,' Saltzman said, outlining three major areas of concern in Russian space technology development.
Russia's demonstrated kinetic kill capability, which saw it destroying a satellite and generating massive amounts of orbital debris in 2021 before launching its invasion into Ukraine; its cyber attack against Viasat the day it began its Ukrainian incursion and continued jamming efforts; and its ambition of putting a nuclear weapon on orbit all pose significant threats to security, the space chief said.
Saltzman's warnings come as the two U.S. adversaries ramp up their efforts to expand their space capabilities. Just last week, Beijing and the Kremlin signed a deal to build a joint nuclear power plant on the moon to power their planned International Lunar Research Station. The project aims to create a permanent base on the moon by the mid-2030s, in competition with the U.S.-led Artemis moon mission.
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