Carter said the US has established an integrated effort to in understanding the anti-satellite threat, and preparing a work plan on how the US can operate without spacecraft,” Carter told reporters at the National Press Club. I-HLS reports.
Carter said the initiative was looking at how to make U.S. military and intelligence satellite systems more resilient if they were threatened, or how to operate without them if need be. He said the fiscal 2014 budget included funding for the initiative, as well as “investments in our own capability to deny the use of space against our forces in a conflict.” He did not provide additional details.
The U.S. government is relying on satellites for a number of defense-critical services including strategic and tactical reconnaissance and intelligence gathering, early warning on missile launches, communications and weather monitoring.
The Pentagon on Monday released an 83-page report on Chinese military developments, saying China uses computer espionage to acquire technology to fuel its military modernization, but China dismissed the report as groundless. The annual report also highlighted China’s increasing space capabilities, citing Beijing’s “multi-dimensional program to improve its capabilities to limit or prevent the use of space-based assets by adversaries during times of crisis or conflict.”
It said China was pursuing a variety of air, sea, undersea, space and counter-space capabilities, and military strategists there viewed the ability to utilize space and deny adversaries access to space as key priorities. The report cited a Chinese military analysis which highlighted the importance of “destroying or capturing satellites and other sensors” during a military conflict.
