The United States wants to prevent China and Russia from taking control of space and will look to allies for help, according to a new “Defense Space Strategy” unveiled by the Pentagon on Wednesday.
According to reports, the strategy document was the first since President Donald Trump announced the creation of the new Space Force military arm in December.
“China and Russia present the greatest strategic threat due to their development, testing and deployment of counterspace capabilities,” it said.
“China and Russia each have weaponized space as a means to reduce US and allied military effectiveness and challenge our freedom of operation in space.”
The strategy stressed that the US would strive to maintain superiority in space, in particular protecting GPS satellites on which the military as well as the emergency services, transport and even financial services depend.
But China and Russia are developing tools for jamming and cyberattacks that directly threaten US satellites, such as electromagnetic weapons and anti-satellite missiles, Stephen Kitay, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for space policy, told reporters.
China is investing billions of dollars in space and puts many satellites in orbit. In 2007, Beijing also successfully tested a surface-to-air missile strike against a satellite, according to the Pentagon.
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