Weapons to help Russia and China eliminate America's space advantage

US President Donald Trump is pushing for a Space Force as Russia and China are developing new ways to eliminate America’s space advantage. The two countries have devoted significant resources to researching anti-satellite weapons and other low-Earth orbital weapons, according toNational Interest.

"Moscow and Beijing are increasingly concerned about countering Washington's space dominance, and they see the development of anti-satellite weapons as part of future military doctrine to reduce the effectiveness of enemy operations," Daniel Coats, director of the US National Intelligence Agency, said in a hearing before the US Congress.

The US military, especially the Air Force, relies heavily on satellite data connections. The Pentagon uses a variety of technologies, including Link-16, to connect forces on the battlefield in real time. US fighter jets continuously collect and exchange data with each other to identify targets, coordinate attacks, and coordinate operations.

Therefore, satellites have become a key link in the modern operations of the US military. To target this link, US opponents can use many different types of weapons, especially in the fields of electronic warfare and cyber warfare. Washington's opponents can focus on jamming military communications satellite networks (SATCOM) and reconnaissance, as well as increasing the ability to disable and distort the global navigation satellite system (GNSS).

Chinese researchers have discussed ways to jam satellite signals on common frequencies, while Russia plans to modernize its electronic warfare forces and add more advanced equipment by 2020.

If the non-physical attack solution fails, Russia and China may consider plans to shoot down US space assets. A number of anti-satellite weapons (ASAT) are being completed by these two countries, expected to be tested and deployed in the next few years.

"Russian strategists see ASAT as a component of a space defense system, and they will pursue a variety of methods to destroy satellites at all altitudes," Coats said. Meanwhile, China is also preparing to field a new anti-satellite weapon.

Both Moscow and Beijing are developing directed energy weapons to blind or completely destroy Washington’s photo-reconnaissance satellites. They also possess dense satellite networks with the ability to actively collide with and destroy enemy space assets.

The possession of ASATs by adversaries could erode America’s advantage in war, forcing the Pentagon to invest more money to maintain its strength. The US Joint Chiefs of Staff are considering a decision to consider electronic warfare as a new domain, along with air, sea and land.

"Electronic warfare is so important that we consider it a separate domain. We are turning our attention to offensive and defensive electronic operations, which will become one of the most important areas in the future," said General Sandra Finan, deputy director of the Air Force's Command, Control, Communications and Computers (C4) Information Office (CIO).