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What’s New: More official warnings about Chinese advances in counter-space.
Why It’s Important: The U.S. is more dependent on space than any other nation.
- As we have discussed, Threat = Intent x Capability
- China intends to be back on top.
- China has the capability to at least embarrass the U.S. by disrupting GPS and impacting our infrastructure.
What Else to Know:
- GPS is a military system that is far more important to civil users than the military.
- Space Force ensures GPS satellites transmit great signals.
- No one seems responsible for ensuring those signals are usable by the time they get to the ground.
- The U.S. has no widely adoptable alternatives to PNT signals from GPS.
- From the article: “Most concerning about China’s accelerated emphasis on space weapons, Whiting said, “is the way China has clinically studied us and our dependency on space” and is “rapidly building” programs to threaten the US satellite architecture.”
US Sees China’s Space Threat Growing at ‘Breathtaking Pace’
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Beijing gaining tech to disrupt US satellites, target forces
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Space Command chief speaks in Senate hearing on Thursday
China is growing its military capabilities in space at a “breathtaking pace” to counter the American satellites in orbit and improve its ability to monitor and target forces on Earth, according to the head of the US Space Command.
America’s top strategic challenger is seeking to develop advanced space weaponry and making advances in satellite meteorology, human spaceflight and robotic space exploration, General Stephen Whiting said during a hearing Thursday of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
