The U.S. desires to stop China and Russia from taking management of space and can look to allies for assist, in accordance to a brand new “Defense Space Strategy” unveiled by the Pentagon on Wednesday.
The strategy doc was the primary since President Donald Trump introduced the creation of the brand new Space Force navy arm in December.
“China and Russia current the best strategic menace due to their growth, testing, and deployment of counterspace capabilities,” it mentioned.
“China and Russia every have weaponized space as a way to cut back U.S. and allied navy effectiveness and problem our freedom of operation in space.”
The strategy pressured that the U.S. would attempt to keep superiority in space, in explicit defending GPS satellites on which the navy, in addition to the emergency companies, transport and even monetary companies, rely.
China is investing billions of {dollars} in space and places many satellites in orbit. In 2007, Beijing additionally efficiently examined a surface-to-air missile strike in opposition to a satellite tv for pc, in accordance to the Pentagon.
Russia plans a take a look at launch of its Angara heavy provider rocket later this yr and is urgent forward with the event of its new intercontinental ballistic missile, the Sarmat.
In 2018, President Vladimir Putin boasted that the Sarmat was one of many new Russian weapons that might render NATO defenses out of date.
The U.S., which is reviving its space exploration program, lately celebrated its first crewed spacecraft flight in practically a decade, sending two astronauts to the International Space Station in a privately-built capsule.
The strategy doc underlined that the U.S. would “promote burden-sharing with our allies and companions.”
