World’s military powers quietly readying for a war in outer space, fuelling potential new arms race
Initially, the reserve of the United States and the Soviet Union, space has now become accessible to a multitude of nations and private firms keen to show off their space-attack abilities
Killer satellites, blinding lasers, sophisticated jammers: the world’s military powers are quietly readying for a war in outer space – at the risk of fuelling a dangerous new arms race.
US military officials have in recent years sounded growing alarm about the potential vulnerabilities of their satellites, which underpin US military power.
Initially, the reserve of the United States and the Soviet Union, space has now become accessible to an ever-expanding multitude of nations and private firms.
And Moscow and Beijing are keen to show off their space-attack capabilities, a deep worry for US strategists.
“We are changing the culture in our space enterprise because we need to get our heads around ... what happens if a conflict on Earth extends to space. How will we defend our assets?” Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said at an event last month.
We are changing the culture in our space enterprise because we need to get our heads around ... what happens if a conflict on Earth extends to space. How will we defend our assets?
In 2015, the mysterious behaviour of a Russian satellite fuelled speculation about Moscow developing possible attack satellites, capable of manoeuvring through space and approaching a target.