TEHRAN, May 28 (MNA) – The US is ready for conflict in outer space, according to a senior military official, after developing anti-satellite technologies to counter the threats posed by “provocative” countries such as Russia and China.Brig Gen Jesse Morehouse at US Space Command, the arm of the military responsible for space operations, said Russian "aggression" and China’s vision to become the dominant space power by mid-century, had left the US with “no choice” but to prepare for orbital skirmishes.
“The United States of America is ready to fight tonight in space if we have to,” Morehouse told reporters in a briefing at the US embassy in London, according to Guardian.
“If someone was to threaten the United States of America, or any of our interests, including those of our allies and partners with whom we have treaties of mutual defence support, we are ready to fight tonight.” Satellites underpin great swathes of modern life, from banking systems to weather forecasting, and are crucial for military operations through intelligence gathering, communications, navigation and guidance.
But an overreliance on satellites means that an attack on a country’s orbital assets could have far-reaching consequences.
Four countries, namely China, the US, India and Russia, have tested anti-satellite capabilities by destroying their own satellites with missiles from the ground.
But such demonstrations, which the US unilaterally banned last year, create vast clouds of debris that put other satellites at risk for decades.
When Russia shot down one of its own satellites in 2021, the explosion showered its orbit with more than 1,500 trackable fragments.
“When you create that debris cloud and it lingers on orbit for decades, it’s almost like detonating a nuclear weapon in your own back yard,” Morehouse said.
“You pay the price too.” Faced with a new space race, Morehouse said on Thursday the US would continue to develop anti-satellite technologies “not because we want to fight tonight, but because that’s the best way to deter conflict from happening”, adding it would do so “without engaging in irresponsible tests”.
MNA/PR