WASHINGTON – Russia and China are developing “destructive counter spaceweapons” which could be ready to use in “the next few years”, according toa US intelligence report.
New “anti-satellite” (ASAT) weapons could be used in future potential warsagainst the US, the report warns. It says they would be used “as a means toreduce US and allied military effectiveness”.
The Director of National Intelligence’s report, which is based oninformation gathering by the FBI, CIA and National Security Agency,says recent military reforms in both China and Russia “indicate anincreased focus on establishing operational forces designed to integrateattacks against space systems”.
The document states: “We assess that, if a future conflict were to occurinvolving Russia or China, either country would justify attacks against USand allied satellites as necessary to offset any perceived US militaryadvantage derived from military, civil, or commercial space systems.”
According to US intelligence, China has already begun initial testing forcounterspace weapons, and has formed specific military units to operateground-based anti-satellite ballistic missiles.
“Russia probably has a similar class of system in development,” the reportsays.
In addition the US believes China and Russia are building “directed-energyweapons” which would include lasers, and could be used to damage sensitivespace-based equipment.
After this, the report adds: “Of particular concern, Russia and Chinacontinue to launch ‘experimental’ satellites that conduct sophisticatedon-orbit activities, at least some of which are intended to advancecounterspace capabilities.”
The US report comes weeks after a Russian report made similar accusationsabout Washington’s military intentions.
Last month the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, said the US aimedto place weapons in space and that the country had rebuffed a joint attemptby Russia and China to strike a wider agreement on the “militarisation ofspace”.
He said: “All other countries understand the urgency of this problem butthe United States continues nurturing plans to militarise outer space, inthe sense of the deployment of weapons in outer space, which will,naturally, add another negative dimension to the problems of internationalsecurity.”
Despite US concerns about Russia’s capabilities, industry experts recentlytold The Independent that the country’s space programme was “nearcollapse”, after several failed rocket launches. – The Independent