The US is constantly challenged by increasing Russia and China’s military cooperation, and especially when it comes to space, the competition is cutthroat. In 2008, Russia and China submitted a UN resolution to limit space weapons, but lately, their cooperation has gone much beyond. Both the nations are cooperating on the Chinese space station and have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on a potential lunar base. Also, according to the Pentagon officials, Beijing is making massive investments in weapons designed to jam and destroy satellites. Recently, during an intelligence-security trade group’s webinar, Rear Admiral Michael Studeman said that China is pushing to develop anti-satellite weapons with capabilities from “dazzling to jamming, to kinetic kill-from-the-ground, from space — all that, they’re on the march.”
Turning towards Europe
To counter threats in space, the US Space Force is looking to develop partnerships with European countries. “We have seen what China and Russia have done in developing a suite of capabilities designed to deny our access to space,” General John W. Raymond, Chief of Space Operations, Pentagon. The comment came following his meetings in Luxembourg, Belgium, Spain, and the Netherlands.
He said the partnerships with countries are necessary to ‘stay ahead of a growing threat.’ The US has a close collaboration with France and the UK who have launched military space units over the last few years. Germany has also officially opened its space military branch. “The plan is to now widen that cooperation to include other friendly nations. Partners are important to us, and there are opportunities for like-minded nations,” Raymond said.
Last month President Biden marked his strategic entrance at a NATO summit aiming to consult European allies to counter provocative actions by China and Russia while highlighting the US commitment to the 30-country alliance.
Protecting space infrastructure
The US Space Force has deployed the Lockheed Martin-modernized satellite software updates to its protected satellite communications system. The update will enable the US and its partners, including Canada, UK, the Netherlands, and Australia, to access new features. The Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) system provides a survivable, protected, anti-jam signal for high-priority military communications. The constellation is a successor of MILSTAR and is designed to enable high-level military leaders to control strategic and tactical forces, even amid nuclear war.
The latest software update provides endurance mission re-planning and allows the US to access and control protocol messages for the satellites. “The AEHF Mission Planning Element enhancements are a great example of the US Space Force’s ability to incrementally field operational capability to our warfighter Guardians and international partners at the speed of relevance,” said Barbara Baker, Senior Materiel Leader, Space Production Corps Command and Control Systems Division as per C4ISRNET. The fifth and final increment is in development and is expected to be operationally accepted in December 2022.
