Pentagon accuses Russia and China of viewing space as a battlefield
US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan affirmed that Russia and China consider space as a battlefield.
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| The Pentagon - headquarters of the US Department of Defense. Photo: AP |
"China and Russia have considered space as a domain for warfighting activities. In this area, China is actively increasing its presence in space. Last year, the Chinese government put into orbit 38 missiles, more than double the number in 2017," Mr. Shanahan declared when speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.
However, he did not say exactly how many military spacecraft or dual-purpose spacecraft have been put into orbit.
In late February, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order establishing the Space Force to resist aggression and protect national interests in space.
Russia claims that by doing this, the United States is creating preconditions for the militarization of outer space in order to use space for military purposes, and Russia is forced to respond to potential threats with reciprocal and asymmetric measures.
Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on March 20 that by accusing Beijing and Moscow of seemingly creating threats in space, Washington was actually looking for an excuse to justify the United States' efforts to gain military superiority and develop advanced weapons.