Both Russia and China have tested satellites with capabilities such as grappling hooks to pull other satellites out of orbit and “kinetic kill vehicles” that can target satellites and long-range ballistic missiles in space.
In May, a senior US Defense Department official told a House Armed Services Committee hearing that Russia was developing an “indiscriminate” nuclear weapon designed to be sent into space, while China conducted a third secret test in September of an unmanned space plane that could do that. are used to disrupt satellites.
The U.S. is far ahead of its European allies in developing military space capabilities, but it wanted to “lay the foundation” for the continent's space forces, Saltzman said. Last year, British Air Marshal Paul Godfrey was appointed to oversee Allied partnerships with NATO and the US Space Force – one of the first times a high-ranking Allied pilot had joined the US military.
But Saltzman warned against a rush to build up space forces across the continent.
“It takes a lot of resources to split and set up a new service. Even… in America, where we think we have more resources, we have underestimated what it would take,” he said.
The US Space Force, which monitors more than 46,000 objects in orbit, has about 10,000 personnel but is the smallest branch of the US military. The officers are known as 'guards'.
The cost of building space defense capabilities leaves the US heavily dependent on private companies, raising concerns about the power of billionaires in an industry where regulation remains minimal.
SpaceX, led by prominent Trump backer Elon Musk, is increasingly working with the U.S. military and intelligence agencies through its Starshield unit, which develops low-Earth orbit satellites that track missiles and support intelligence gathering.
This month, SpaceX was awarded a $734 million contract to provide space launch services to U.S. defense and intelligence agencies.
Despite concerns about Musk's erratic behavior and reports that the billionaire has been in regular contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Saltzman said he was not concerned about the U.S. government's cooperation with SpaceX.
'I have every confidence that they will implement it [contracts] exactly as they were designed. All interactions I have had with SpaceX have been very professional,” he said.
Additional reporting by Kathrin Hille in Taipei.
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