The chief of space operations for the U.S. Space Force has a warning for Washington. General B. Chance Saltzman told Nikkei Asia it’s “fair” to assume Beijing would target America’s space capabilities if war broke out over Taiwan.
The U.S. heavily relies on space for intelligence gathering, communication, and early warnings.
Gen. Saltzman explained that disrupting U.S. gear in space could interfere with the mobilization of troops in the early stages of a conflict.
Backing up that concern, he cited China’s investments into creating technology able to take out U.S. space technology. Saying “the pace with which they’ve been able to put those capabilities in play, and the scale at which they are putting those capabilities, is the most alarming.”
An Annual Pentagon report says Beijing is developing directed-energy weapons, satellite jammers, and ground-based anti-satellite missiles.