- Space is essential to modern civilization, with critical systems like communication, navigation, and banking relying on satellites. However, these space-based assets are increasingly vulnerable to threats from adversaries like China and Russia.
- General Michael Guetlein warns space warfare norms are shifting, with adversaries engaging in jamming, spoofing, cyber hacks, and deploying advanced satellite weapons, including grappling arms and “nesting doll” satellites capable of attacking others.
- General Chance Saltzman emphasizes the need for U.S. space superiority through increased surveillance, resilient satellite networks, and responsible counter-space operations, but warns inadequate funding and shrinking resources could jeopardize national security.
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Out of the billions of people who have ever called Earth home, fewer than 700 have ever gone into space. However, almost the entirety of modern civilization today depends on things humans have put into orbit.
Everything from our power grid and communication systems to navigation and even banking software at ATMs depends on their ability to communicate with satellites in space. This reliance makes space-based assets incredibly important and vulnerable.
The changing norms of space warfare
“There was a gentlemen’s agreement, until recently, that we didn’t mess with each other’s space systems,” Gen. Michael Guetlein, the Vice Chief of Space Operations for the United States Space Force (USSF), said. “We didn’t jam them. We didn’t spoof them. We didn’t lase them. We just kept them safe. We didn’t have to worry about that.”
Guetlein says that’s changing. While speaking at the 16th Annual Defense Programs Conference, the Vice Chief said adversaries like China and Russia are willing to go against international norms of behavior, fully cementing space as a warfighting domain.
Guetlein said both China and Russia can shoot down satellites with missiles from Earth, but they are also proving adept at fielding other orbital options. China, specifically, is investing billions in its own space programs in a move to unseat the United States as the dominant power in exo-atmospheric operations.
Escalating threats in space
“The new norms of space, unfortunately, in the last three years are jamming, spoofing, and dazzling. Norms of behavior. They’re happening all around us,” Guetlein said. “Cyber hacks are happening all around us on a day-to-day basis.”
“What’s more concerning is the new kit that they’re bringing to the fight,” Guetlein continued. “Nesting dolls in space capable of launching an A-Sat, or a missile, to take out another satellite. Shadowing U.S. satellites. Multiple satellites up there today are shadowing our satellites in a cat-and-mouse game. We move, they move. We move, they move. We don’t know what their intent is. We don’t know what their capabilities are. Unsafe and unprofessional.”
Guetlein said some Chinese satellites even have grappling arms able to pull satellites out of orbit and potentially hold them hostage.
The shrinking Space Force amid growing challenges
“Everybody is starting to recognize how much more critical space is becoming to our nation and our national defense,” Gen. Chance Saltzman, the Chief of Space Operations for the USSF, said. “And at the exact same timeframe, the Space Force is shrinking. And that’s just a fundamental disconnect I think we have to solve.”
During a recent discussion with the Mitchell Institute, Saltzman said when it comes to seeing space as a warfighting domain, achieving space superiority is as essential as air superiority in a traditional war, just from a different altitude.
“If we can’t protect what we have and deny the adversary the use of space-enabled targeting against our forces, we are going to struggle to meet military objectives,” Saltzman said. “It is an imperative. Space superiority is an imperative and we just got to get after it.”
Three key concepts for U.S. space superiority
Saltzman explained there are three guiding concepts to maintaining U.S. space superiority over China, and they are all interconnected:
- Avoiding operational surprises: Space is vast, so the U.S. needs enough assets in space to monitor what’s going on.
- Offense holds the advantage: Satellites present high-value targets because they were not originally built with onboard defenses in mind. If one is taken out, it could cripple an enemy. Now, Space Force commanders are calling for more satellites — not necessarily fancier ones, but more of them. If one goes down, the others can pick up the slack, creating resiliency.
- Responsible counter-space operations: This involves developing the ability to stop an enemy from using their space-based assets while still maintaining the ability to use our own.
The funding dilemma facing the U.S. Space Force
Without a doubt, the task given to the U.S. Space Force is a tall order and vital to every other branch of the U.S. military. However, the Space Force has only 15,000 guardians in its ranks and receives just 3.5% of the Department of Defense’s budget. Adding to this challenge, Congress signed another continuing resolution instead of passing an actual budget, meaning the Space Force is losing money year over year — something Saltzman says has to change.
“The adversary is not stopping. They are progressing. Their curve for developing capabilities is on a different slope than ours,” Saltzman said. “Those that have been in the ‘Pentagon Wars’ associated with resourcing know that what really happens is your baseline budget just gets iterated on each year. It’s a copy of a copy with slight improvements and adjustments. So, what I think we’re looking at is a fundamental shift, a step-function shift in space capabilities through the Space Force budget.”
If there isn’t a monumental shift in the Department of Defense’s approach to Space Force funding, Saltzman warned that American space superiority could cease, and the reign of Chinese space dominance could begin. That’s an outcome neither the U.S. nor its allies want to see happen.